Year 3: The Querent Quest
by RedCloakedMaiden
Summary: The Order of Merlin, Year 3. Scorpius Malfoy is now in his third year of Hogwarts and has disproven any myth that he's like his father. For one thing, he is in Ravenclaw and also friends with Albus Potter. But maybe there is one relative he is similar to.
1. Sins of the Father

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 1: Sins of the Father

* * *

Malfoy Manor was perhaps, best worded as a _distressed_ place. Wealth had once been obtained by its inhabitants—it towered over the maze and its pale sheened bricks that was almost the color of Galleons. But at the same time, it seemed unlikely anyone actually _lived_ there. It was too tall and almost thin, having swept and sucked itself up to fit in among the hedges and the windows were large and glittering like heavy diamond earrings with the curtains pulled back like a lady's hair swept into a French twist to display them. But most distressing of all was the overbearing tower-like roofs and the small dark iron gates bordering every balcony. It became prison like and lost its delicate grace when night fell.

Yet, the Malfoy family lived there in Wiltshire, for hundreds of years now. The family tree was as twisting and almost as twisted at the maze. Brutus Malfoy, who sought to have Beedle's tale _The Fountain of Fair Fortune_ banned and even burned several copies in the Drawing Room fireplace. Anastasia Malfoy, who died of a tragic accident at age sixteen. The names of Beatrice, Abraxas the II and Faustus Malfoy who all died before attending Hogwarts—and they were the only supposed squibs or dead children with graves in the family cemetery. Lucius Malfoy, the Dark Lord Voldemort's right-hand Death Eater. Draco Malfoy, his son who was ordered to murder Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

It was enough to haunt anyone's dreams.

There was screaming. A flash of silver—either reflected light off of metal slashing through the air or by spell. The entire house that was Malfoy Manor seemed to _**shudder**_.

_So, he ran. Scorpius tripped down the halls and ran even faster down the stairs. Moonlight poured through the windows and seemed to gather the ghosts that otherwise stayed in their shadows. Paintings of Malfoy heirs, aristocrats the whole lot of them, sneered, a traditional smirk that had been passed on even to him. _

_Between the dark midnight sky and the bright moon, the world had turned grey before him except for a sole silhouette. One of the albino peacocks stared down at him from atop of a hedge—it's eyes for once not beady but wide and prominent. As a child, as much as he tried not to admit it, the peacocks terrified him and kept him off the grounds. Unlike his father as a child, who had attempted to ride them more than once like a broomstick; their fanning of feathers, the delicate beaks with sharp points all reminded him of his grandmother. But there were more of them outdoors than her in the house. _

_The peacock fluttered down to the grass and stalked haughtily off, his feathers drawing a train as they were carried into the maze. Scorpius followed him, his fear fading. _

_The white whisps of the feathers led him through the hedges, always whisking around another corner until he reached the heart of the maze. And then, the earth managed to shudder. The thought of an earthquake never occurred—Scorpius stood there even as the earth cracked and it rose up out of the soil and into the sky. The leaves bloomed and faded even as they opened, from green to scarlet. The earth calmed and a great wind blew, shaking the leaves off the great tree now, leaving each branch bare except for the portraits from the tapestry, a living family tree. _

_The peacock crooned and without a thought, Scorpius threw a leg over the peacock's back, clasping his hands around it's swan-like neck. There were no worries of weight—the peacock lifted straight up in a magnificent burst. _

_He was soaring, flying through the air. Scorpius Malfoy felt faster, higher than he had ever felt before but he also felt heavier. Looking down, he realized that he was so high up he couldn't see the ground below but also that he was on the back of a white eagle. The eagle looked normal enough even with white feathers that had transformed beneath him from a peacock's, but it must have been simply enormous to carry him and still fly easily. It flapped it's great wings, letting out a piercing cry. The fact that Scorpius was being flown away by an eagle and had no idea where he was going only made him tighten his grip, trusting the eagle as his guide. _

_Sometime later, he realized the great eagle was slowing, he could see the ground again and finally the talons touched earth as Scorpius slid off the eagle's back. Too late he realized, that the eagle was dumping him off as with a powerful burst of it's wings, knocked Scorpius down and the eagle took flight again, leaving him to collide with a large stone propped out of the ground. There was a sharp, not-quite a bark, but harsher than a gasp of laughter as something invisible gawked at him. __A crow caw__, he recognized. Getting to his knees, Scorpius grasped the stone, glancing at it to ensure it's steadiness before he realized where he was. _

_**LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY**_

_**"We have, I fear, confused power with greatness"**_

November 3, 1953-December 28, 2014

_Scorpius was lost in a graveyard. A very nice, if odd looking one too, he realized once he had gotten to his feet. Some areas of the cemetery where bright with sunshine and around others were a fog and shade. _

_Laughter reached his ears. Looking around suddenly, he spotted the cause of it: Albus and Rose were walking by, the sunlight cast over them. _

"_Hello!" Scorpius called out. "Albus, Rose!" _

_Neither one of the turned around, but continued their amusement, their laughter trailing off. Without hesitation, Scorpius followed after them. But their figures started fading, as the way obscured with mist and he was lost. Unable to discern his way, Scorpius fell to the ground, leaning back on another headstone. A snake slithered past his feet and the sharp caw rang out again as the black bird swooped past and after the snake._

"_Scorpius Hyperion__," a faint voice suddenly whispered, her words echoing. He stood up quickly, turning in place to look for the voice in the mist before he saw her. _

_She had been standing behind the gravestone and although the mist had parted enough for him to see her clearly, she was like mist herself, ethereal and faint. Pale blonde hair down to her waist and wavy all throughout. Huge bright eyes, like she was surprised to see him too. She wore what he thought were old-fashioned witch's robes but just as well might have been the clothing of an ancient goddess despite her relative youth. Her mouth was very small though, especially when paired with such moon-like eyes. It was what might be called a rosebud and she opened it. Words escaped her, sounding too strong and terrible for such a pretty witch. _

"_**Son of the Star, thrown from his Tower**_

_**Beware the Emperor and his reversed power**_

_**Draw quick the Cup, Wand and Sword so choose**_

_**Or else the Devil will draw and you'll surely lose**_

_**Do not stray from the pack, you are to attend**_

_**For the thirteenth card was not the end**__**."**_

_A bell began to toll, ringing clearly through the mist. The ghost then faded or perhaps the fog came back and coated her. But Scorpius reached out for her and found nothing but the grave. He fell to his knees and tried to trace the letters, unable to read them through the mist._

"_S…o…l…" He whispered as the bell sounds faded too._

"_Scorpius! __Scorp!" Another voice shouted. He turned around and there was his friends behind him, Albus and Rose, Elora…the bird caw was deepening and slowing. "Caw!" Caw!" Cahooot!" Hooting?_

His first sight from the darkness that had threatened to overwhelm him was the sapphire-shaded walls, significantly lighter in the morning sun. His breathing slowed and Scorpius felt calmer just to recognize his room as he managed to extract himself from his bed sheets. Pluto hooted and ruffled his feathers at the disturbance and even managed a glower.

"Sorry," he murmured, and then felt foolish for apologizing to an owl.

Then, there was a quick _crack_ and Mully the house-elf was peering up him giddily from the end of the bed. "Young Scorpius sleep well?" the house-elf asked.

"Not really, but you can tell Mother I'm up." He yawned.

"Mully will have out Young Scorpius's lemon tea, his favorite of all teas." Mully reassured him. "Missus Asteria is downstairs in the dining room with Master Draco and the Mistress having breakfast. Master Draco is almost to the business page of his _Daily Prophet_."

"Thanks Mully," Scorpius said, pulling on a pair of pants. The house-elf bowed and disapparated away.

Scorpius hurriedly finished getting dressed, ran the comb through his hair and strode down the stairs. _Malfoys don't run, especially to the dinner table_, Grandmother Narcissa had trained him well. His father had just turned the last page of the business section in the_ Daily Prophet_ to the sports page when Scorpius made it to breakfast.

"Good morning Scorpius," his mother said, her voice low and soft. Asteria Malfoy was a dark and straight-haired woman, with paler eyebrows and grey-green eyes who always wore the same exact three pieces of silver jewelry: an emerald-eyed snake bangle, a scorpion pin and aster flower earrings.

Draco Malfoy nodded once to Scorpius and then to the tea sitting at his usual seat. "Mully brought you tea. Did you sleep well?"

"Fine," Scorpius answered. "Are we going to Diagon Alley today, Dad?"

Although his friends felt it remarkably easy to call their parents 'Mum' 'Dad' or in Elora's case 'Mumsy' and as the Scamander twins called their parents simply 'Luna and Rolf', Scorpius often found that that he could only ever manage to refer to his parents as Mum and Dad when he was alone with them; otherwise, his tongue referred to them as mother and father or even Draco and Asteria Malfoy.

"That was the plan," Draco said, frowning over the headline of the Tornados' defeat. "I needed to stop by Borgin and Burkes to see about a Grey Sisters' Eye they claim to have."

Scorpius nodded, taking a bite of his toast. His father worked as a freelance magical artifact expert, either in identifying them or even repairing broken objects and the store Borgin and Burkes were one of his biggest employers. "You'll be fine by yourself though, getting your books and supplies?"

"Well, I'd thought I'd stop by the joke shop and see if Albus or Rose might be there or go to the Leaky Cauldron and find Elora." Scorpius suggested.

On the very end of the table, came a faint cough. Narcissa Malfoy tapped her cane and the two Italian greyhounds at her feet made soft dog noises in response. "How are your friends doing this summer, Scorpius?" Grandmother Narcissa asked.

Grandmother Narcissa never asked questions unless she thought you'd know the correct answer already. Scorpius answered, slightly bewildered. "They are fine. Rose and Albus have spent most of the summer together and Elora's sister is seeing someone."

His grandmother nodded sagely. "I wouldn't be surprised if those girls started seeing other boys this year. Thirteen is a wonderful age to be…"

"Why wouldn't they hang out with Albus and I?" Scorpius asked, abruptly surprised by the turn in conversation. "Even if they did decide to go on a date with some git, why not?"

"Come along Scorpius," Draco said, setting down his newspaper. "My appointment's at nine, we'll have to Apparate there now."

"Good-bye Mum, Grandmother." Scorpius said as he allowed his father to grasp his arm tightly. There was a quick sensation of squeezing through a tube, his ears popped and then filled with the hustle and bustle sounds of Diagon Alley.

Draco looked down at him, although Scorpius had grown over the past two years to reach his father's shoulder finally. "Albus and the Weasley girl probably won't arrive until later in the day and I doubt Elora Longbottom will be let out of working until after the morning rush is done. Why don't you come along with me until I've finished this appointment? I can get your books for you afterwards and you can explore with your friends then."

Scorpius shrugged and followed his father down the cobbled, narrow street of Diagon Alley, side-stepping around the street vendors' carts full of dragon livers and lunascopes. Knockturn Alley was located precisely between Jigger's Apothecary (which was owned by his own Potions Professor and Head of House) and across from Gringotts. Despite Ministry efforts to clean it up several years ago, Scorpius knew from his father's work that Knockturn Alley was still the place to go when buying rarer, more expensive, or more dangerous stuff, despite Ministry laws. A lot of shops had even closed from Ministry orders and if Borgin and Burkes hadn't been re-opened by a distant relative, they probably wouldn't be hiring his father so often.

"Mr. Malfoy!" The shop manager said, placing a hand down on the counter as they entered, the bell twinkling overheard. "And the younger Mr. Malfoy as well. I am so pleased that you are able to assist us on proving the authencity of our Grey Sisters' Eye."

"I'll see what I can determine." Draco said calmly. "In the meantime, I'd like my son to stay in here. I trust him not to cause a distraction; he's been well-trained in the handling of magical objects, specifically in the ones that shouldn't be touched."

The shop manager eyed him as if wishing him ill fortune but allowed Draco into the backroom and even shut the door behind them, leaving Scorpius in the room alone.

Borgin and Burkes had many, many things lining the walls: there was a hangman's noose, a hand of mysteries, two cracked and misty crystal balls, a boxlike object underneath a dark sheet…Scorpius wandered the shelves, not daring to touch anything like his father said. Not because Draco Malfoy had said it though, but because he knew well enough the dangers of touching unknown magical objects. When he was six, he tried to use a cursed wand and his hand turned black.

On the second to lowest shelf in the four aisles Scorpius wandered through, he saw a deck of cards. Curious, he crouched and studied them intently. They weren't cards for poker or gambling or even for a good game of Exploding Snap. They had strange, medieval styled-drawings on them, of tiny people. There was a girl muzzling a lion on one, a robed figure on the other holding up a white wand, both with an infinity sign over their heads, the third card was a man walking off the edge of a cliff, a bird trying to fly into his face and the fourth card was reversed, so only the pointless decorative back could be seen from behind the glass.

Scorpius's fingers itched to turn it over and see what the other cards looked like, but then the door opened back up and his father's voice was echoing over his head.

"I'm very glad I could authenticate it for you, and I'll stop by again to study it some more if you'd like, but I have to take my son to get his belongings. Scorpius? Scorpius, your friends should be there by now, if you are ready to go."

"Yeah, I am..." Scorpius said, straightening up. He winded his way through the aisles back to the front of the shop and exited back out with his father.

"That was fairly quick," Draco commented. "Seems they really do have a Grey Sisters' Eye."

"What is that?" Scorpius asked.

"It will answer any one question you may have as long as the answer is already known." Draco answered. "Sounds pointless, but as long as one living person in the world knows it, so will it if you ask it."

"Malfoy!" Somebody snarled. Scorpius glanced behind him to see a one legged man crutching towards them and felt his arm gripped tightly.

"Don't look," his father ordered, walking a bit faster now as his cloak flapped around his ankles. "They want a reaction, don't respond and just keep walking. They won't follow us out of Knockturn Alley."

"Coward!" the man was screaming now. "Death Eater, monstrous, murdering, snake…you took away my leg. A hero, the Ministry calls me! A Death Eater, they tell us you are! Where's your Dark Mark, Malfoy? Where's the Azkaban chains? A hero, I am, and I'm without a leg, sleeping in the streets, and you still live in your manor with your family and you've got a son!" The man screamed harshly. Draco's grip tightened on Scorpius. "A son and he's exactly like you—"

Draco whipped around, his cloak flashing before Scorpius as he stumbled backwards. Draco Malfoy's wand was out and pointed, standing before his son.

"Don't you dare mention my son again." Draco hissed, almost snake-like, his eyes smoldering as the man limped and cowered. "I made my amends. He has no sins. Son, come along."

"I am what you called a mudblood!" the man howled, determined to not be silenced. "What was my sin? To be born to a muggle father? That's his sin, it is, born to Draco Malfoy!"

Draco's hand settled back on Scorpius's upper arm and squeezed it as the two Malfoy men left Knockturn Alley and the crippled man's rage behind and stepped out into the bright sunlight of the summer day. Scorpius swallowed a breath and was glad for the crowd that pushed them towards the front doors of Gringotts and away from the alley. He resisted the urge to pull his hood up and cover his white-blond hair.

"Are you alright?" His father asked, his face pale and concern creased in his temple. "Nobody should bother you like that in, in Knockturn Alley or not. I'll send a MLEP man down there..."

"I'm fine." Scorpius said to his father. "I'm going to find my friends."

* * *

**Six months away...and we are on to Year 3: _The Querent Quest_! For new readers, you might want to read Years 1 & 2 first to understand characters and thier pasts better, but you may forge forward and read and review! (Yes, PLEASE review! And if you are really wanting to review, I have a Draco/Asteria oneshot up since the last chapter of Year 2...)**

**Just a warning...in case you couldn't tell by this ending, the kids are growing up. This equals hormones, puberty, romance, and the nastier side of situations. The rating's going up for a reason!**

**The quote on Lucius's grave is by ****Stewart L. Udall.**

**And thanks to Brighton Belle, who noticed a number of errors in this chapter, making me realize I had submitted the orginal, unedited for mistakes version. I have since fixed that. Thanks!**


	2. The Ghost of Malfoy Manor

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 2: The Ghost of Malfoy Manor

* * *

"_That's his sin, to be born to a Malfoy!" The one-legged man screamed, brandishing his clutch like a wand, pointing it at them. Nobody in Knockturn Alley looked twice, all the people simply pulled the black hoods of the dementor-like robes over their heads._

_His father turned on the man and pulled out his wand. He issued a curse and the green light shot out—_

Scorpius woke, panting heavily in his bed. He rubbed at his eyes and groaned. The _**incident**_, as his father had referred to it afterwards, was over and done with and nobody had cursed anyone. In fact, there was nobody screaming in Malfoy Manor tonight. But Scorpius _could_ hear someone crying.

Pluto rustled his wings to shield his eyes when Scorpius grabbed his wand from his bedside table and whispered "_Lumos_." It was an advantage, living in a house where a spell could have just as easily been cast by his parents rather than their under aged son. How the Muggleborn students lasted the summer without using their wands, Scorpius didn't know. And come to think of it, he didn't actually have any Muggleborn friends to ask either.

The tip of his wand lit up, and the light glanced off his bedroom walls, flickering like a candle and shuddering against the window. For two years now, his bedroom had been coloured midnight blue with what Grandmother called "slate blue accents" on the walls and a matching shaded rug on the cherry wood floor which, coincidentally, went well with both Ravenclaw blue and the light green from his nursery days.

Someone cried out again, their whimper echoing through the halls of Malfoy Manor as Scorpius rolled out of bed, consenting to walk barefooted and holding his wand aloft to light his way through the halls. It wasn't his father, he was sure, as he crept through the halls down to the library. Draco Malfoy didn't scream in his sleep or when awake. Asteria was a light sleeper and would have woken early from any nightmares. And if his grandmother ever had any reason to scream out, Scorpius knew that she'd cast a Silencing Charm on herself first. _And_ her dogs, so they wouldn't whimper.

The family library took up an entire upper tower room, just lined with bookcases and a statute or four. Three shelves were devoted to issues of _Warlocks at War_, edited by Brutus Malfoy. And a total of four shelves were Scorpius's alone. Grandmother Narcissa insisted that it wasn't proper to keep books outside the library and so every book Scorpius had ever read and more stayed in the library, waiting for him to sneak out of bed to read them. On the first shelf that held his first books, there was an innocently perched _Toadstools Tales_ beside the two copies of Beedle the Bard; one that was ancient with ripped out pages and writing inside, the name of every Malfoy child to have read from it, and the other was the one written by Hermione Granger-Weasley. The second shelf contained his schoolbooks—_Quidditch Through the Ages; Hogwarts, a History; Fantastic Beasts, Beings and Botany and Where to Find Them_, an updated edition of Newt Scamander's original study.

Scorpius didn't even bother checking the third and fourth shelves, which contained his favorite books. _Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes, He Flew Like a Madman, and Why I Didn't Die When the Augrey Cried_ would have to stay there tonight. He picked _Ancient Runes Made Easy_, which he had added to his shelves only a few hours ago. And then, Scorpius took the book and _lumos_-lit wand and crept back out of the library.

This hallway was not the way back to his bedroom, but was just as familiar to his feet. He made it a quick walk to the southern turret. The crying grew louder.

"Anastasia?" Scorpius called out, raising his wand up the stairs.

The crying stopped and a girl's voice answered, still sounding mournful.

"I didn't mean to wake you up, Scorpius Hyperion."

Scorpius got a chill up his spine, remembering the witch in his dream from the night before who called him that, just like Anastasia always did. He rounded the last few steps and reached the top of the turret where she was waiting for him.

Anastasia was a very pretty girl of sixteen. Her hair was blonde and pulled back into a neat ribboned braid down her back. Her eyes were crystal-clear and her face was small and pretty. Whatever the cause of death had been, it hadn't left a mark on her ghostly form.

"I know, but the Manor carries all noises," Scorpius reminded her. Anastasia fiddled with her hands and hastily smoothed out her old-fashioned dress. Once again, he was reminded of the witch in his dreams, although in comparison, Anastasia's petticoated and poufed dress compared to the almost Grecian robes could not have been more different.

"Tomorrow's September first," she said finally, sadly. He nodded.

"I brought a book," he said. "_Ancient Runes Made Easy_. It's one of my new classes."

Anastasia eyed the book apprehensively, but longingly all the same, her eyes widening as she nodded quickly.

Scorpius flipped open the book, held the wand over the page and started reading to her. Anastasia listened raptly to him. That's how their summers went. She'd pretend to understand every word he'd explain to her and he'd pretend not to see her eyes tearing up. Anastasia never went to Hogwarts when she was alive.

The next morning was calm and smooth like the butter on his toast. Mully the house-elf had his breakfast laid out when he made it down to the kitchen and his mother was waiting for him there, already in her purple dress robes.

"Scorpius," Asteria said after had taken a few bites of his toast. "Your father is very sorry, but he got an owl early this morning." Scorpius nodded and swallowed his toast. He didn't bother answering—what was there to say? She nodded too, sipped her drink and waited for him to finish breakfast. "Have you finished packing yet?"

"I'll do a check up," Scorpius said hastily, hurrying back out of the dining room.

His mother called back after him: "We'll be Apparating directly to the station at ten-thirty, Scorpius!"

There was not much else to say or do. Grandmother didn't leave Malfoy Manor, Anastasia refused to come out during the daytime and his father had already left—and his bedroom was kept fairly neat so when he reached it, Scorpius merely had to walk around in a circle once, pick up his wand, _Ancient Runes Made Easy_ and Pluto's cage.

Apparating directly to Platform 9 and ¾ meant that he could get into his robes now. He toyed with the thought and then decided he'd rather not. Not very many people wore their robes before boarding and as unpopular as he was, it might be a better idea to blend in. He re-opened his trunk and dug underneath the layer of books for something to wear besides his school robes. He came up with what Mother thought was a "dashing, midnight blue jacket" along with a plain pair of black pants and his Tutshill Tornados t-shirt. He'd leave the robes at the top of his trunk with the rest of his uniform, then he'd only have to take off his shirt and pull the robes on over top the Ravenclaw Hogwarts uniform.

Asteria met him at the bottom of the stairs and she offered him a small smile. "I told you that jacket looked very nice! It's a good thing you are in Ravenclaw, dear, you look much better in blue than you ever would have in green."

"Are we ready to go?" Scorpius asked, setting down the owl cage. Pluto hooted, his feathers all on edge from being disturbed.

"Almost," His mother said, as she smoothed out the front of her skirt beneath her robes, ready for work. "Grandmother will want to say her goodbyes."

The muted tapping of her cane and the clicking of dog nails on the floor led Grandmother's way towards them, her lips tighly pursued at the sight of Scorpius ready with his trunk. "I'll miss you reading to me everyday, Scorpius. But do your best. Grades are important. You are a Malfoy and you must be the best."

She tapped her way to him and embraced him, in a hug very tight for using only one arm to hold him close.

"Goodbye Grandmother," Scorpius replied as she let go of him, her shawl trailing over his shoulder. No point mentioning that the top student of the year was actually Albus and not him... "I'll see you at Christmas." Grandmother nodded, one of her dogs yapped and then Asteria stepped forward, took his arm and trading his trunk for the owl cage. It was too much of a risk for him to try and bring a living creature along, Scorpius knew, so he willingly traded and closed his eyes.

Asteria gripped his shoulder and then the feeling of being held very tightly slid all the way down his body—he was going to pop—and a rush of noise and a sudden burst of light exploded in his ears and behind his eyelids. Scorpius opened them and before him was the scarlet train, students already milling around it and carrying their belongings on board.

"Platform 9 and ¾," Asteria said, sounding weak. For a moment, she wobbled and he had to catch her hand again to steady her. "Thank you, Scorpius," she murmured after a moment. "I've never been particularly strong when it comes to being able to Apparate and with you and your things…"

"I'll get my things on board and then I'll come back and say goodbye," Scorpius said swiftly, picking up the cage and, by tugging a handle, managed to lift his trunk onto an abandoned trolley. He understood her dislike of Apparating well; it gave him a blinding headache. Asteria looked torn, glanced up at the clock overheard and then nodded her head.

"I'm needed at work, or else I would see you off. Scorpius…just listen to what your friends have to say about you, all right? They know you better than anyone else at that school," she said fiercely.

Scorpius nodded. He hated to leave her alone here on the train station like this, to return to an empty old manor filled with rooms needing repairs, with his grandmother and her dogs that never left it.

"Bye, Mother," he offered as she nodded too.

He found an empty compartment straightaway as it was still fairly early for boarding. He pushed his trunk in rather insensitively, but with much more care left Pluto on a seat before he hurried down the train corridor. He sidestepped several students, most who didn't seem to realize who he was—none of them were his friends but at least they weren't the ones who hated him either.

"Scorpius!" Another blonde haired boy said loudly, causing the second year girl in the aisle to jump. "Did you bring us any of those peacock feathers?"

Lysander Scamander was quite clearly the strangest fellow Scorpius ever had the pleasure of meeting. Much like a sheepdog, Lysander had shaggy, dirty blonde hair that was unlike Scorpius's white-blonde shade. His ears stuck out of his hair and throughout it he had managed to weave tiny braids and beads. His eyes were amber, his pockets constantly had odds and ends falling out of them and all of last year he had carried a rabbit around in the palm of his hand. But, Lysander wasn't a Hufflepuff for nothing—he wrote to Scorpius weekly all summer, taught him how to help Pluto with a molting spell and once made a sixth year Slytherin run off after he started blathering about 'nargles'. If Lysander wanted a few peacock feathers, Scorpius would have braved the whole party of peacocks to get them.

"I've got them in my bag, back in the compartment," Scorpius answered.

"We'll come with you, won't we, Lorcan?"

"Good morning, Scorpius Malfoy." Lorcan greeted him as he emerged from behind his brother. The twins were the yin to the other's yang: for all of Lysander's exuberance, Lorcan was by far the more mellow, and he would write an entire paragraph in the common book he carried in his pocket before he'd ever say a word. Whether it was because people hardly ever understood what he had just said or because he preferred to let Lysander do the talking, Scorpius hadn't figured out yet. But he was good company in Ravenclaw as the two of them would sit together in the Tower, Lorcan peering over his green-tinted glasses.

"I really think she'll like the mobile," Lysander was rattling on beside him. "Grandpapa said that peacocks offer psychic ability and color to a developing mind if the feathers are facing upward—"

"The all-seeing eye. But even the peacock would like—to see just themselves," Lorcan recited.

"He's been on a haiku kick for the last month," Lysander explained. "That was one of your better ones. Almost as good as the one you wrote for her."

"Who is 'her'?" Scorpius asked as they reached the compartment and he bent over to dig through his trunk. He placed the feathers inside his Arithmancy book, he remembered.

"Amaris!" Lysander exclaimed. "Luna had a girl—a pup—a baby. July 2nd. So she's a cancer—"

"Elora is a cancer also," Lorcan noted.

"—Rolf and Luna named her Amaris Lupe. It's a Spanish name," Lysander finished. "Here, I've got a picture!"

He fished a photograph out of his pocket and blew off the rabbit hair before handing it to Scorpius. At almost two months old, Amaris looked hardly unique to other babies Scorpius had ever seen. He handed the picture back with the peacock feathers and Lysander's face fell.

"Were they scared by a ghost? The feathers have gone white."

"We breed our peacocks—they're _albino_. The ghosts don't go near them," Scorpius tried to explain when the door opened and a girl dragged her trunk in to join them.

"Scorpius!" Rose cried out, jumping over her trunk to hug him. "You prat, you ran off with Albus and didn't come back to see me!"

What had probably started off as freckling had turned her skin cinnamon brown. Her hair was brilliantly red from the sun and starting to frizz from the heat but between the tanned skin and redder hair, her eyes looked brighter than the normal pale blue.

She released him and scowled. "Really? The Tornados?" And she took a step back, making sure to kick her trunk against the wall before she slumped into a seat. It took him a minute to realize she was referring to his shirt bearing the double T logo and he smirked, taking the seat across from her.

"I don't know if anyone ever told you, Rose, but the Cannons are never going to win unless they replace the whole team and down some Felix Felices."

Her face turned a bit red at that. "I don't support the Cannons. That's my _dad_. He won't give up hope and he'll take me to see their games and that hat was a _gift_!"

"The Harpies haven't come higher than fifth in the league since 2008," Scorpius pointed out again.

"They lost Aunt Ginny!" Rose protested. "She was having kids—Albus would have never come into the world if she hadn't—"

"For that matter, neither would have James Potter. But where is Albus?" Scorpius asked.

"He's being a good, older brother and helping Lily find a seat," Rose answered. "And knowing how hectic things get at the Leaky Cauldron, Elora will be late, so we better make room for two seats."

"No need," Lorcan said, standing up. "We are thinking of offering a salutation to Lily so Albus and Elora can have our spots." Lysander bounded out the door after his brother, waving at the two of them.

Rose stretched out, lazily kicking her legs out in front of her. "So, did you and Albus have a good time without me?" she asked, sounding slightly wounded but intrigued.

"We did," Scorpius acknowledged. "I wasn't expecting you to not come with us though. Did you get a job there or something?" His head was starting to ache again and it only pounded more when the train gave off a piercing whistle.

Rose shook her head, red curls flopping. "Dad brought me to work with him a lot this summer and sometimes Albus would come along and we'd goof off in the back. Of course, Dad decided I was 'too busy working' to go with you two."

The train was really chugging along now. Surely, Albus would come and look for them now and Elora either was on board or she missed the train. At least Professor Longbottom, her father, could Floo her to school if that happened. Scorpius nodded grimly. "Oh. Well, we really just went to Flourish and Blotts. If you had been able to go, we could have overruled Albus and gone into Quality Quidditch Supplies."

Although the autumn morning had started off grey, the day had yet to turn sunny. It shouldn't be feeling this hot, should it? Scorpius pulled off his jacket, leaving the Tornados shirt on. Rose cupped her chin in the palm of her hand, balancing her elbow on top of her knee drawn up to her chest. "We're third years now though. We get to go into Hogsmeade on weekends! Uncle George and Dad got a WWW in the village, and there's Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks—"

Scorpius gasped, blinking fast as Rose wavered, his world fading into black, bleariness.

"Scorpius?" Rose cried out, alarmed, reaching forward. The air was worse than hot. If he knew better, he'd guess that he was breathing in dragon's breath. She must have grabbed his wrist then, because he felt a light grip on it but she wasn't there anymore. Rose was gone…

_The sky had turned from day into the blackest night. There was only a crescent moon and the sign of Scorpio in the sky to be seen that wasn't hidden by the dark forest overhead and all around. Scorpius seemed to be alone in the woods tonight as he stopped his running (was he fleeing or following?) in the heart of a clearing. Perhaps a crow too as he heard it's triumphant, mocking cry overhead. The wind blew around him as more autumn leaves fell to his feet._

_If he peered hard enough between the trees and their branches, he could just make out the silhouette of a castle, rising up above a dark lake glimmering. Why was he here and not there?_

_Then, a piercing, shrieking, low wail erupted from behind him. Scorpius dropped to clasp his hands over his ears, to block out that miserable cry. But it kept coming for an eternity, Scorpius on his knees, huddled on the ground until the echo faded away and he opened his eyes, looking up for the source of such misery, his heart still aching and pounding._

_Something was coming out of the woods now. It was taller than Scorpius and he could see the astonishingly pale blue eyes—not like Rose's, but more like aquamarines or a pale sapphire._

_Scorpius closed his eyes again and then everything went dark for a brief moment, like the moment between the candle going out and the eyes adjusting. And then, the world grew lighter._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter two! I hope I've satisfied all my readers who wanted to see more about the scene in Knockturn Alley from the last chapter. But more importantly, I hope I've established the difference between a normal dream and now the two stranger ones Scorpius has had. ****Also, we saw a little bit of the Malfoys and we will see more of them during school breaks, I can promise you that! Also, Anastasia Malfoy...for the record, she is an O.C. of mine, and I hope a very intruiging one. **

**Back to school in less than two chapters! Not that we will always get back to Hogwarts so quickly, this year was the exception. But we always "gotta get back to Hogwarts"...I hope that quick scene with Rose will satisfy my few fans. I am very surprised at my current poll results, at how unpopular Rose is, especially since she was the featured one of Year 2. Also, the Scamander twins and thier new baby sister! Virtual cookies to anyone who understands her name. **

**And thanks to Brighton Belle, who noticed I had more errors than usual in my last chapter, leading me to realize I had uploaded my uncorrected version of the chapter. That's been fixed! And another thanks to Ast (Astrea Severin Orion Black), author of the Avian Series, who is continuing as my beta!**

**REVIEW!**

**P.S. For some reason, my paragraph breaks that I like to use are no longer working. There was supposed to be one specifically in this chapter too that I'll add in if it ever works again.**


	3. Lupin, Lorcan and Lily Luna

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 3: Lupin, Lorcan and Lily Luna

* * *

When Scorpius blinked his eyes, the lightness flashed before him and then he shut them tight. Then, bravely, he slowly opened his eyes again and let the light pouring through the window and brightening the white sheets of his bed and the walls.

_**White**__ sheets and walls? _He realized suddenly, and sat upright.

"Careful Mr. Malfoy. You've been out for quite a while, sudden movements will probably make your head—" A pretty voice said, cutting through the splitting headache that suddenly erupted in his skull as he grasped his head and slumped back into the pillows. "—do that." She finished.

When his headache quieted, he looked up to see not the vein-coated figure of Madam Pomfrey, but an astonishingly gorgeous model standing in the nurse's uniform; with short strawberry blonde hair and a willowy frame, Scorpius was forced to wonder how he managed to conjure up this sort of strange fantasy despite his head pounding.

"I'm Madam Weasley," she said kindly. "You might remember me, I was the Head Girl, Victoire Weasley, two years ago." She said her name, _Vih-twaire_ with the sort of flair that anyone French would have approved of as whole-heartedly as Scorpius did. "Of course, you missed the start-of-term feast and didn't hear it, but Madam Pomfrey decided to retire and I applied for the job having gotten my Healer training last year." She laid down a tray on his bedside table, filled full with a glass of pumpkin juice and a plate of toast and another flask of a sulfur-scented potion. "And _you_ are my first patient. How are you feeling, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Uh," Scorpius said faintly. "All right, I suppose."

"Nausea? Migraine? Dizziness? Memory Loss?" Victoire asked him. He tried to mentally tell himself _Madam Weasley. The new Hogwarts nurse._ But Victoire didn't fit the visual description of old Madam Pomfrey, even if she did fit the job description.

"To be honest, I don't know what's wrong with me that I'm even here." He admitted, before biting into the toast.

"According to my cousin, you were in the middle of a conversation when you turned funny-looking, like you had froze, starting murmuring something odd that she doesn't remember before you passed out. Others tried to revive you on board and failed so once you arrived, you were brought straight to me and haven't responded until now." She said carefully, watching his expression for any signs of recognition. Only one reached him.

"Cousin?" He asked, squinting as he tried to picture anyone with a resemblance to her.

"Rose, I believe she is your friend?" She asked.

Something dropped into his stomach as he stared at her. "You're—"

"Victoire Weasley, like I already said. Perhaps short-term memory loss?" She suggested.

"Just a headache," Scorpius managed. "But that could have been from that dream I had."

"You dreamed?" Victoire said in surprise. "You must have woken up and fallen asleep. That cuts your coma down to three days then."

"_**Three days!**_" Scorpius exclaimed. "I've been out that long?"

"And you haven't eaten anything since Sunday." Victoire said tacitly. "You need to eat, Scorpius. And I need to do some tests to figure out what happened. Can you eat and follow the end of my wand with your eyes at the same time?"

All while eating his toast, taking sips of pumpkin juice and grimacing at the flavor of the medicine, Scorpius was highly aware of Victoire Weasley's hands taking his pulse reading and checking him over again for any clue as to why he had passed out on the train.

"Teddy tells me you are in Ravenclaw," Victoire said nonchalantly. "Teddy probably didn't tell you, but he thinks that's very cool of you, being a non-Slytherin Malfoy. Not that he dislikes Slytherin, but he highly approves of breaking tradition."

Scorpius swallowed. Teddy—his newly realized cousin as of last spring, was the coolest person Scorpius had ever met. He frequently changed his hair to turquoise, listened to old bands like the Weird Sisters and the fact he was a metamorphagus was just wicked. Hearing Victoire sing his praises though, made him turn slightly pink.

"I guess you've been Teddy's cousin for longer than I have," he started.

Victoire gave off a startled laugh. "Cousin? Teddy and I aren't related yet! We were best friends when we were growing up but it took him a couple years to realize anything. Teddy will probably send you an invitation, I'll remind him today."

"Invitation?" Scorpius asked blankly.

"To the wedding! We've been engaged for almost a year now," Victoire said dreamily. "We've settled on a date and you'll be free to come as we had to make sure it coincided with the school holidays." She finished writing down the last of her notes and took a cup off her tray and handed it to him. "I know you just woke up, but after a coma that long, the best thing you can do right now is have a good sleep. This potion will help and you'll wake up in twelve hours."

Scorpius eyed the cup of purple liquid suspiciously and drained it with one gulp. He hardly remembered to hand the cup back to Victoire before his head hit the pillow again.

When he opened his eyes again, the light was no longer as bright and the birds outside the window were chirping. It must still be early morning, a Thursday morning. He had been unconscious for three days and in the Hospital Wing since Sunday.

Footsteps came close to his bed. Turning his head, Scorpius saw Victoire again with another tray of food.

"Good morning," she said brightly, laying the tray on to his lap. "If you are feeling well enough, you can go to your classes today."

"Did you figure out what's wrong with me then?" He asked, taking a drink.

"Not really." She admitted, shaking her head. "You are in good health. I don't suppose you happened to have hit your head over the summer?"

Scorpius shook his head and she frowned some more. "I didn't think so. I'll send the results to St. Mungos and contact your parents again. Your mother said that she wasn't very good at apparition so that might have done it…Just come and see me if anything feels off, Scorpius. I'll let you know if I find anything else."

Then, the Potions teacher, Professor Jigger slipped in. "Victoire, how is Mr. Malfoy—oh, good, I see you got him up in the end after all." Professor Jigger pointed out. She was a very tall woman and a rather oblivious Head of Ravenclaw as she tended to start mumbling to herself.

"And with no apparent side-effects, although I can't figure why he collapsed in the first place." Victoire said, consulting her clipboard.

"Yes, well, as long as he'd doing well now, he'd best get to his dorm room and change into uniform—the next class start in twelve minutes. And I'll need to lay out the murdock leaves and the flames all need to be set at a simmer…"

Scorpius slid out of bed, marveling at the fact he was not in his clothes from yesterday or even a hospital gown but his own pajamas.

"Thanks Madam Weasley, but how did…"

"Oh, Albus, Elora and Rose were visiting you last night. They brought those down here for you to change into." Victoire assured him as she handed him his uniform, judging by the Ravenclaw tie. Scorpius turned faintly pink again and prayed silently as he changed into uniform that first, Rose hadn't been the one to get his pajamas and see his underpants and secondly, that if Victoire had been the one to help change him, she had liked what she saw.

Professor Jigger graded a paper while they walked, using her left hand as a writing surface. Scorpius wasn't too sorry to leave her at Ravenclaw Tower when the Bronze Knight guardian came in sight.

"_What fights, but never kills? What can only be taken by courage or will? It's difficult and long but always right it seems. It's nightmares and fairytales, wishes and good dreams. It's wanting to end but if you have it, wishing to begin. Only when you wish to stop, do you win."_ Lady Luna, as the Bronze Knight was known as also, requested.

Scorpius paused, stunned. Usually, she asked him logical questions like _Which came first, the dragon or the egg?_ But this seemed more like a philosophy. And not even a Malfoyish philosophy either.

"How can you fight and not kill? That's a bit idealistic, don't you think?" He asked the Knight, but she gave no answer. "Could I have another riddle?"

She still gave no answer. She wouldn't until someone guessed it correctly.

Then, the door opened and a Ravenclaw stepped out. She was much older than him, judging by the prefect badge but despite it, seemed to be in no state to take away points for his being out of class, judging by how quickly she ran off to her's. He slipped inside before the door shut him out with an unanswerable riddle.

"Scorpius!" Lorcan called out, striding quickly over to him as Scorpius entered the Ravenclaw tower. "You are alive!"

"Yes, I've determined that for myself all ready." Scorpius noted. "If you don't mind, I'm late for class and I really need my bag."

He left Lorcan at the bottom of the stairs as he dashed up and around the winding staircase to the new Third Year Boys dormitory. Like the last two years, it was in the same room as ever, with a new brass sign on the door. His four-poster bed with the sapphire swags was the farthest over, directly under a skylight. His trunk had been brought up by the house-elves although whoever had thought to get him pajamas and his uniform hadn't shut it properly. But he found his bag and filled it before hurrying back out and almost colliding with a small red-haired girl outside.

"Oof! Slow down, Lorcan said he'd wait for you," the girl anxiously, getting back up to her feet and settling to balance on her tiptoes. "Are you Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Yes." He managed, picking his bag up off the floor and looking up at her. She had bright red hair that would have reminded him of Rose's except her's was rather wavy instead of those thick curls. Brown eyes, some freckles across her face, a Ravenclaw tie. "And you are—"

"—Lily Luna Potter of Ravenclaw." Lily Luna Potter said brightly. "We have a lot in common already! We abandoned our traditional sortings for new houses. Of course, Albus got sorted first, but I claim to be the first Ravenclaw Potter."

"I was going to say that you are the first Ravenclaw first year I've met that isn't scared of me." Scorpius managed to work out from his brain to his mouth.

"And I was going to say that you are the first nice Malfoy I've met but you are the only Malfoy I've met too." Lily confessed. "But I thought to be nice since Albus says you are. Lorcan's waiting for you because he got your schedule from Professor Jigger at breakfast and thought you might like to know you have Transfiguration now. You missed Muggle Studies." A grin quirked at the corners of her mouth and then Lily's eyes widened and she dashed away into her dormitory with a sudden shriek before running back out with a textbook she had presumably forgotten. Scorpius followed her and found Lorcan scribbling away on the stairs in wait as she dashed away to her own class.

"Thanks for getting my schedule." He said to Lorcan. Lorcan nodded and pulled it out, handing it over to him. He had missed Muggle Studies but there was no time to think about that now—according to the bells ringing, he'd have to run or else he'd been ten minutes late instead of five.

Scorpius sprinted through the corridors, dashing around corners. He was going to be gasping and pink and walking into a class with Professor Delacour and even worse, the Slytherins. The latter made him slow down a hallway away and walk casually towards the classroom and through the open door.

"Scorpius Malfoy! I see Vic—Madam Weasley let you loose. Take a seat and some notes." The professor said brightly. In that sentence, Scorpius acknowledged several details of irrefutable evidence that proved Professor Delacour was no longer professor. For one, the professor did not have a French accent or a veela's glow surrounding her. The new teacher wasn't even female. He, was though, rather young, with for the first time in Scorpius's life, without shaggy and unnaturally colored hair.

The Slytherins spared him the usual eye rolls as he slid into the seat next to Albus. The Slytherin Potter looked the same as earlier in the summer and was prepared as he had been last year, passing an ink bottle, quill and sheet of parchment over to him.

"Ok, third years." Teddy Lupin announced. "According to Professor Delacour, your previous teacher, you have sufficient ability and understanding of inanimate to inanimate and I thought we'd kick off with something a bit more interesting than writing a fifteen inch essay so we are going to start the animate to inanimate spell work." He coughed and cleared his throat. "I mean, animals to objects," He clarified and the interest in the class became visible. "If everyone would get out your quills, we need to copy down some quick notes and then I'll let you start on the wand-waving."

Scorpius copied Teddy's notes quickly and then pulled out another sheet of parchment and passed it over for Albus to read. _Where's Delacour and why is Teddy teaching?_

Albus wrote in a response and passed it back. _She got an offer to teach at Beauxbatons. Teddy got the job! If you had been conscious, you would have heard about it at the Feast last night._

Scorpius managed a dignified response. _Only a Malfoy could have had a faint last that long and so respectably. It takes incredible skill to accomplish otherwise. _

_I'll say! You missed the Sorting and everything. My sister's in Ravenclaw with you. But we ran up to the Hospital Wing to check in on you after the Feast._

_By any chance, were you the one to bring my clothes? I appreciated not having to wear a hospital gown. No Malfoy can pull that look off._

_That was Rose. But I got you into them. Rose and Elora stayed out of the room for that._

Scorpius didn't get a chance to continue their written conversation as that was when the class started gathering rabbits from Teddy's desk, making sure not to get the overweight one and bringing them back to their seats. He and Albus followed suit quickly.

Teddy raised his wand and swished it rather quickly back and forth, almost shaking as he pronounced the spell. "_Lepus propod!_" And the fat, white rabbit that had been left on Teddy's desk turned into a pair of soft, white slippers.

"_Lepus propod_," Teddy repeated, setting down his wand. "You want to emphasize the _pod_ bit and you are moving your wand almost as if you are twitching, but be careful to keep your aim steady."

Albus grabbed hold of his rabbit mid-leap off their desk and stuck his wand at it's neck while holding it down. "_Lepus propod_," he ordered. The rabbit shrunk and curled into a slipper shape, but with two rabbit ears sticking out of each slipper along with a cottony tail and the two slippers now tried to jump off the desk as well.

"That's nice," Scorpius commented. "I can just see you _hopping_ off to bed with those on your feet."

Albus rolled his wand between his fingers and gave the incantation again. "_Lepus propod_." Almost reluctantly, the rabbit's ears and tail curled into the slippers and they fell still.

"Second time's the charm, Scorpius." Albus said, before his smile fell into a lip-bite of concentration. "Or second time's the transfiguration. Anyways, let's see how well you do. Can Malfoys pull off bunny slippers as well as fainting?" Scorpius picked up his rabbit by the scruff of it's necks and it immediately tried to play possum, falling into a dead faint. "Apparently rabbits are good fainters too." Albus commented again, enjoying this. Scorpius wasn't sure where Albus got his never-ending commentary from, but he was secretly suspecting that it had nothing to do with Slytherin and everything to do with Weasley genes.

"_Lepupa pod_." He suggested. The rabbit yawned in his face and suddenly became very light as it's blinking brown eyes turned into tortoiseshell buttons and it's fur into velvet.

Albus got a snicker out before Scorpius realized he was holding a stuffed, toy rabbit.

**...**

"And that, class, will sum up the history of Bridget Wenlock's discovery of the powerful properties behind the number seven," The professor sped up to finish talking before the bells could stop tolling. "Homework, read chapters one and two!"

And with the final bell ringing, the class pushed in their chairs and flocked towards the door. Scorpius followed them, rubbing his temple with a grimace. He wasn't entirely sure if he liked Arithmancy yet—it hadn't helped his headache any. And for the first time since he started at Hogwarts, he had a class without Albus, Rose or Elora. Rose had opted out of the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw third year Arithmancy course. But hopefully the professor was the sort who gave the same lessons to both classes and then he could exchange notes and answers with Albus and Elora.

Students filtered the halls as they chattered, stuffing books into bags and laughing on their way to lunch. Four floors down, he spotted the three of them enjoying the end of their free period together and he joined them.

"Scorpius!" Elora said instantly. "What happened? Rose said you collapsed on the train and the teachers had to take you up to the Hospital Wing and you weren't awake when we visited you last night." Since last spring, Elora Longbottom had grown a few more inches and her nose was sunburned, but from her strands of blonde-brown hair to her hazel eyes was still the same.

Scorpius shrugged the bag off his shoulder. "I'm not sure." He said. His voice sounded calm, but he could feel his fingers all jittery against his leg. "But I think I did wake up because then I had a dream. The nurse couldn't find anything wrong."

Rose broke in then. "Isn't it great though? Not about your passing out on the train, I mean Victoire and Teddy! Teddy was going to be doing more study under this old Transfiguration master, McGonagall or something, but then Victoire heard from her aunt that she was going to get the post at Beauxbatons. Professor Delacour is her aunt. So, Teddy applied for the opening! I mean, he's still really young, but he's a metamorphagus and he's working towards a Transfiguration mastery! And Vic got her training with St. Mungos and Madam Pomfrey let them know that Hogwarts was looking for someone to replace her. It worked out perfectly! They even bought a house right in Hogsmeade, Ted said." Rose said, cheerfully. "He said he'd show it to us on the first Hogsmeade trip, he signed up to chaperone. And we're old enough to go, we're third years!"

"I think I worked that one out when the professors wrote 'Third Year Ancient Runes' on the chalkboard, Rose." Albus said amused.

"It's lunch, you four! You better get there before the food's gone!" A passing prefect called over to them. He was shepherding a few first years with a lost look on their faces. With a few eye rolls, they did follow suit down to the Great Hall.

Just as always, the chatter rose over the warm bowls of freshly-stirred soup, platters of pork chops and boiled potatoes. A few hands lifted goblets of pumpkin juice as they still jabbered on.

"See you," Albus said, edging out of their group to join the Slytherin table. Rose and Elora did likewise to sit at their tables, leaving Scorpius to find a seat with the Ravenclaws. If there was one thing he disliked about having been sorted in Ravenclaw, it had to be the mealtimes. In classes, he had, up till now, always been able to depend on sharing them with one of his friends. But as third years, unless they signed up and had been put together as houses, Scorpius couldn't count on any of them being together except for the core classes still. And in Ravenclaw Tower, he had studied by himself or been in his dorm either sleeping or getting ready. Meals, though, was the three times a day when he saw his friends and couldn't be there too.

His gaze drifted along to the Slytherin table. Where he should have been, not that he would have let himself go there anyways. Albus was there instead and he insisted that he _allowed_ the Sorting Hat to put him there. Unlike Rose, Albus wasn't in the middle of the table, surrounded by snakes dripping smiles from their fangs, but on the edges, coolly observing them all. Elora sat near the middle of Gryffindor table though. She was squished in between a Weasley girl and another third year, but she looked like she enjoying herself, as she reached across the table for some more ketchup.

Rose was holding court at the Hufflepuff table, alongside the Hufflepuff Scamander twin, something Macmillian, her cousin Molly, and what looked like the Quidditch team. Of course, they'd probably be discussing when to hold the trials and Rose, being the fairly popular person even after having gotten last year's Cup canceled, was still a Beater for the team and would have some input to decide when.

Thinking twice, Scorpius turned to the fourth year next to him. "Do you know when Ravenclaw would be having the Quidditch try-outs?"

The fourth year swallowed, despite having not been chewing anything. "Uh, next week, Saturday at nine."

"Thanks," Scorpius said, turning back away. He had a fairly decent broom and was a good seeker. He had helped Rose practice for the try-outs last year. He hadn't bothered with the try-outs the first two years since Ravenclaw had a Seeker already: Dominique Weasley. But she had graduated last year and as a third year, he'd have a better chance at it anyways. Despite his headache and passing out, Scorpius could already feel the buzzing is his fingertips. This year was going to be different.

* * *

**So, Chapter Three! And speaking of those Quidditch try-outs, I joined my school's brand-new MUGGLE QUIDDITCH TEAM! I am a Chaser! So much fun!**

**Except for Quidditch, I've actually had a rotten week. Do you think you could leave me lots of reviews then, to make it end on a good note? Bonus if you try to answer the Ravenclaw's entrance riddle!**

**And congratulations to Brighton Belle (this is the third chapter in a row that I've mentioned her), for correctly guessing the reason I named Amaris Scamander such!**


	4. Muggle Myths

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 4: Muggle Myths

* * *

That night, after completing the two chapters of reading Arithmancy, answering in complete sentences the seven hypotheses of Alchemy and the eight inch essay Binns assigned them in History of Magic, Scorpius took his bag upstairs to the Third Year Boys' Dorm. Almost completely done in shades of blue except for the cherry wood furnishings and the occasional bronze highlight, the corner of Ravenclaw Tower it resided in was ideal. Even in comparison to the underwater spectactularity of the Slytherin's chambers, Scorpius preferred it, especially when you considered the skylight window that his bed happened to be directly underneath. And so what if the Hufflepuffs were located right by the kitchens and therefore were capable to get snacks whenever they wanted? Ravenclaw had a little library inside their common room and it was _encouraged_ to borrow the books to read in bed.

But instead of books, his bed only had a snowy owl who stared at Scorpius haughtily and only when Scorpius got his fingers on the letter she carried did the owl stick her leg out. Scorpius only rolled his eyes and made sure to get his letter out of the way of those claws before Iris took flight back out the sky window that someone had apparently been kind or irritated enough to open on her behalf, judging by the chair left underneath it. Scorpius could just barely manage to reach it, even standing on his toes to shut it after her. He opened his letter.

_Dear Scorpius,_

_Your head of house, Professor Jigger, told us that you collapsed on the train and that you were unconscious for the night. She wrote that since this morning however, you've woken up well and managed to focus on your studies. She was hoping that we might be able to explain your condition and if not, then at least we'd know the current details. _

_What happened? If someone cursed you, don't think you can handle this by yourself—or I will set your cousin on you, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. Was it from apparating? I'm sorry if that's so, but with a little rest and food since, you should be feeling all right now. I was a bit woozy myself. _

_Your father says that it was good of you to go on with your classes. He missed almost the first week from an injury and he was behind in his classes, for almost a month in his new studies. Third year is very important and you picked some rather challenging classes! But don't feel pressured to keep up. If something like this happens again, your grandmother and I can arrange a tutor for you while we look into the matter. _

_Your mother,_

_Asteria Malfoy_

Trust the school to have notified his parents. His mother had been looking for an excuse for years to arrange a private tutor and have him study at Malfoy Manor. If it weren't for the fact that his father's job wouldn't let him and Grandmother Narcissa would never leave her house, Scorpius was sure she would have suggested moving.

Why had he collapsed on the train like that? He wracked his brain, trying to remember those final details that danced on the edge of memory. It had felt rather hot to him, but the sky was still grey and before it had been rather chill. He'd had a headache then too. Luckily, his headache had faded off since this morning. But still…he had eaten breakfast, he hadn't been ill since last winter when he got that cold. He had sneezed for four days straight then, but he had been healthy all summer long.

In fact, the only 'strange' thing had been his dream. And the fact that he had a dream while unconscious. But strange dreams weren't that unusual—Scorpius had three last year that he could still remember vividly, the one about Rose being scared by a snake was almost frightening for such a short and simple dream.

Scorpius pondered this for a good half hour before the soft breaths of the other boys lulled him into a dream about apples falling off trees and him trying to not get hit. And when he woke up, he didn't even remember having a dream as he quickly rolled out of bed at the sound of the buzzer Ravenclaw Tower had set.

"Good morning, class!" Professor Thomas called out as she sashayed to the front of the room. A few students called out cheering greetings in return, including some of the rowdier boys already ogling her figure and Rose waved to her. "I trust you all had pleasant holidays?" She inquired to a head-nod here and there. "Well, as much I as know we'd all like to daydream about our vacations and eat some of that leftover candy from the trolley," as Scorpius idly realized he had never eaten his candy and it must still be in his trunk if the chocolate hadn't melted. "I have something more interesting in store for us."

As the class raised their heads and a couple of whispers broke loose, Professor Thomas smiled, her indigo eyes brightening and she touched the mangled scarring at her throat unconsciously. "Third years marks the end of theory—we covered the history of darkness and it's creatures sufficiently to begin learning how we might defend ourselves besides knowledge. But first, let me ask you; what do you think, given your prior study, is the most dangerous darkness of all?"

A surprised, quick silence followed, before Rose chirped up next to him. "A nundu, of course. It's breath is poisonous, spreading and infecting everything and you'd need dozens of wizards to finish _one_ off!"

"Good, but no," Professor Thomas said, enjoying the frustrated look on her face. "Close though. Keep thinking."

Now, the tentative answers started flowing as the students around them started ratting off answers, a few Hufflepuffs leafing through their books while the Ravenclaws tried from memory.

"A dementor?"

"The Killing curse?"

"Don't be stupid…Harry Potter survived both of those!"

"A werewolf?" A Hufflepuff boy with head of ginger asked suspiciously. "That's why you're rubbing your scars, to give us a hint?"

Professor Thomas coughed and removed her fingers slowly. "No, that was unintentional…still wrong but still so close."

Now there was shouts going up as Scorpius tried to consider what he was hearing.

"Vampire!"

"Goblins! Binns is always rattling on about those massacres…"

"Dragons?" Edith Edgecombe suggested but no one heard her as Scorpius said, "Another wizard—or witch," he amended quickly as Professor Thomas nodded approvingly. The class fell silent, apparently confused.

"Right, take, oh, ten points to Ravenclaw, Mr. Malfoy. Yes, the most dangerous thing you could find would be another witch or wizard."

"How's that possible?" Amelie Van Meer protested. "We can fix broken bones with a wave of our wands, defend ourselves from dangerous creatures—"

"You are muggleborn, Amelie?" Professor Thomas asked kindly. "Surely you see muggles who are good, evil and neither. The same is with wizards."

"So Dark Lords…" she began, looking horrified.

"Possess all the same powers as yourself but ultimately chose to use magic for evil," Professor Thomas finished for her. Perhaps seeing the shocked look on Amelie's face, Professor Thomas continued swiftly. "You weren't the first to feel this way. I didn't come to this conclusion until I was seventeen. But perhaps a demonstration?"

She scanned them critically, looking for reluctance and rebellion in their faces. "Rose, Scorpius, come up to the front of the class, wands out."

"_Wands out?" _Rose mouthed to him as she pulled an ash wood wand from her belt. He shrugged and slipped his own down from the inside of his sleeve as they walked the gauntlet between aisles.

"Do you know how to produce any kind of jinx or hex," the teacher asked.

"I do!" Rose said quickly.

"Mr. Malfoy?" She finished, Rose having beaten her to it.

"Oh," Rose caught on, looking embarrassed.

Scorpius tried to save her. "Rose is probably better than me."

"In that case, do you know how to make a Shield Charm?" Professor Thomas asked him again, eyeing his wand curiously.

"_Protego_," he answered.

She nodded. "We'll have a one-spell duel. Both of you take ten steps away and on my count of three, I want Rose to try and jinx you and Scorpius to stop it."

He and Rose both nodded, her chin set in determination as they both turned away. _One step. Two steps and the desks slide away. Three steps, they don't want to get hit in the crossfire. Four steps. Five steps, six steps. What kind of jinx will she use? Seven steps. Eight steps, why did she pick us? Nine steps. Ten steps. Get ready…_

"Two," Professor Thomas counted, having passed one. "Three!"

Scorpius whirled, wand out and ready as Rose spun quickly back and shouted "_Tarantallegra!_"

"_Protego,_" he ordered, slashing his wand.

The glowing shield flashed out from the wand and slammed into Rose's incoming jinx: it bounded into her knees and she collapsed, her legs kicking out in every direction.

There was a silent moment save Rose's fumbling dance steps until Professor Thomas stepped forward and waved her wand at Rose.

"Yes, that was exactly what I was hoping to show you." She said, beaming as Rose managed to get to her feet. "Thank you both for that excellent demonstration. The purpose of a Shield Charm is to defend one's self, a good thing in most cases. But, it can also be used to reflect any incoming spells and send them back, a rather more dramatic offense. It can even be a bad thing, as dangerous as a hex that you are returning. In here, we will strive to use all spells as a matter of defense and at least for third years, abstain from the offense."

Even after he and Elora made it to lunch from Potions, that's all Rose was still spluttering about.

"I didn't know Shield Charms could reflect!" She said, her legs swung over the Hufflepuff bench to face him. "And I'm good at DADA."

He shrugged. "I am too."

"I'm better at Charms than you are," she said crossly. "I should have been able to knock you off your feet with that spell."

Scorpius shrugged again, taking a sip of Pumpkin juice. "Well, then, maybe I am just better at DADA than you then. I have to be good at something, you know. You three already have Charms, Transfiguration and Potions covered."

"What do you have this afternoon?" Rose asked.

"Study of Ancient Runes, Charms, free period and then Sorcery and Society," Scorpius recited as she brightened.

"I have that next with Albus! It's a new class started up by the librarian, Sprout mentioned it during the feast. She's now Professor Dubvessa as well as the school librarian. But they didn't say much about it." She added, slightly skeptical.

"According to the description it gave," Scorpius picked up his class schedule. "A discussion and study-based class on culture, tradition, ethics and history."

The bells rang out once, echoing from the Bell tower. "What are we discussing and studying?" Rose shouted after the tumult as students massed towards the exits to class.

'_What' was going to have to wait three periods,_ Scorpius thought dryly. Unless Albus told him about it first.

Elora found him outside the Great Hall and together, they searched for classroom 6B, their new Runes classroom. It was unlikely either of them would have become friends naturally without Albus and Rose's influence: although Longbottom were a pureblood name, they had been raised worlds apart. Elora had grown up tagging after an older brother and sister in the Leaky Cauldron and he had been the lonely child of a manor. But she was good at Potions, a generous, self-sufficient sort of person that he admired…and he was a Ravenclaw. Somehow, she and he had become friends.

And like Elora suggested, it was the B classroom on the sixth floor where most of the class was already gathered. And from behind them, the door closed with a click, muting out all noise out in the halls.

The professor, who was leaning back in his seat, feet propped up and eyes closed, had appeared to be napping a moment ago. Now, he wasn't even rubbing his blue eyes awake as he stood up and waited for them to find their seats quickly.

"Now," he said, rubbing his hands together. "We can appreciate the ancient runes in peace."

Professor Audric Radford was a broad-shouldered, humpbacked, blue-eyed, thin, grey-haired man with a quick tongue. Within the first three minutes of class, he took a rapid roll call and with a flick of his unusually thin wand, wrote out at least two dozen runes on the chalkboard.

"This, class," he said. "Will be your motto, simply because it is mine. We will share everything in this classroom. _Hazidruno runu, falahak haidera, ginnarunaz_. You have five minutes to translate this with your alphabet chart."

Aaron Boot raised his hand, and Professor Radford nodded, rubbing his hands.

"Sir, aren't we going to take notes?" Indeed, all of the Ravenclaws except Scorpius and half of the Gryffindors had quills out and ready. He shook his head.

"Mr. Boot, can you please recite Gamp's Elemental Laws of Transfiguration?"

"Anything and everything can be transfigured from it's original or transfigured state to anything and everything except the following except—"

"You see?" Radford interrupted. "I do not want simple memorization! I want you to be able to change laws with a rune, describe your feelings in a rune, to _**create **_with runes. You must understand first. Now," he said, flicking his wand and allowing scrolls to fly off his desk to theirs. "These are runic charts, matching alphabet to letter. Make something out of it."

Bending over his chart, Scorpius studied the first rune. It was two vertical lines, with a 'x' at the top in-between. It could mean "day" but it looked more like "man" or "_mannaz_". Reaching over the chart with his quill, he scratched in the first word.

"Let's see what you've all got," the professor said five minutes later. With another flick, he collected all their answers, a Gryffindor boy vainly trying to scribble something else down first. He smoothed them out and read them out loud and anonymously.

"_The Study of Ancient Runes is derived from fulahawk writings and are known as runes_. Wrong, very wrong. Although you did pick out one word correctly." He muttered, writing out the word 'rune' under the words 'runu' and 'runaz' in the original quote. "Let's see…_Hail and ice buried runes under an oak tree._ Where do you students come up with this stuff? Ah, here's one: _Man has the runes, the language of falahak, the secret of runes."_ Interestingly enough, '_rune_' is a word that comes from the word '_secret_'."

Half an hour later, nobody had gotten it and the professor was grinning like a mad man. "Twenty years and nobody got it! _Hazidruno runu, falahak haidera, ginnarunaz._ I, master of the runes, conceal here runes of power."

"How were we supposed to come to that conclusion?" Aaron Boot asked again. He was practically hanging off his desk in eagerness.

"You weren't," Professor Radford said jovially. "That was the entire point of my little test! I wanted each student to come up with their own conclusion based on their reading. That is the power the runes will give to one who masters them!"

"What power?" Elora asked, raising her hand. "I thought this was a theory!"

"Theory!" He exclaimed, looking wounded. "My dear girl, Miss Longbottom, we do not use that word in here. And the power lies in the _interpretation_. For homework, take a look at the alphabet for next class and write out a motto of your own in runic form. Bring a translation too."

Charms with Professor Jones was always Scorpius's least favorite class. It was easy and horribly dull. If Rose had been in the class too, it would have been unbearable because as much of a friend as she was, she was naturally good at Charms and loved having classes with her Head of House. Sharing with Slytherin was much nicer because Albus and he would learn it straightaway and spend the rest of class talking.

"How's Sorcery and Society?" Scorpius asked as he finished his notes on the theory of Cheering Charms."

"Good!" Albus said immediately. "Professor Dubvessa knows what she is doing."

"Is it anything like Muggle Studies or History of Magic?" Scorpius asked doubtfully.

Albus considered the question before shaking his head. "It's almost a reverse Muggle Studies. It's wicked though."

Wicked was a good adjective for Sorcery and Society. Although she was also the school librarian, classes were held in a newly converted classroom on the fourth floor. The room was surrounded by wall-to-wall bookcases full of books, the desks were pushed into a wide circle in the center of the room and Professor Dubvessa was waiting there, her dark glasses hiding her eyes from them.

Elora slipped in beside him only a couple minutes before she took attendance. The Gryffindors were particularly restless; it was the last class of the day and a new one at that. There hadn't been much time to get details from the other third years and being a new course, no other years were studying it. Effectively, they were the test case.

"Welcome, to Sorcery and Society," Professor Dubvessa said modestly. She was a tall and thin woman, with dress-like robes that had a high, lace collar and puffed out sleeves and nipped in at the waist. And of course, there were the obvious details that marked her as a probable vampire: the skin that started out as ruddy and bloated after a bloody drink at breakfast and now halfway through the day, was considerably pale and thin. She also wore large, wide-framed sunglasses that covered most of her face and were too darkly tinted to check for dark circles under vampire eyes. Although a few muggleborns in his house insisted she was probably blind (or very fashionable), the general agreement among Hogwarts' students was that Fia Dubvessa was a vampire—and not one of them wanted to find out for real.

"I hope in here, we can discuss freely and together, realize many things about witches and wizards. Provided that this class is a success and we continue on as a N.E.W.T. course, we will discuss magical ethics, muggle perceptions, traditions and culture. Are witches and wizards stereotyped? Do we have a vast, rich and unique culture? This first year, I think, we will consider those two questions first and foremost. Fourth years will continue on to ethics and behavior."

Already, almost all of the Gryffindors except Elora and another girl looked disappointed. Quite a few Ravenclaws did too, but more resignedly so. Johanna Belwey though, looked even worse than Aaron had in Ancient Runes. Her hazel eyes were big, the look on her face was classic. It was the appearance of a Ravenclaw hooked.

"I have a yearlong study planned for us as probably the greatest and fairest example of witches and wizards from another perspective. But first, we will take up about a month sharing among us our own points. Today's assignment: when did you first realize you were magical?" And with that, she settled primly into her seat, hands folded. It took them a moment to realize that she was waiting for them.

"Well, Professor Sinistra came to my house to deliver my Hogwarts letter," Amelie said across the circle.

"Surely you did magic before then?" Professor Dubvessa said quietly.

"I was six," Elora said thoughtfully, scrunching her brow and lips towards each other. "I unfroze a flower that I left outside all night. The petals were all iced and the leaves were bogged down with snow."

"I thought it was just a good prank!" Griffin Thane exclaimed then. "Even when Sinistra—"

"Professor Sinistra," Dubvessa corrected.

"—turned the coffee table into a Labrador. Even when walking through Diagon Alley. I didn't believe it when I broke Ollivander's window. I kinda thought so when I found my wand, but it wasn't until I was on the lake and seeing the castle for the first time," he confessed. "It was like something out of the wardrobe and all those books."

"And these books of yours, Mr. Thane, what did they write about magic?"

Griffin shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. "They were kids' reading. They talked an awful lot about magic but the only magical people around were two witches and they were evil."

"Indeed," Professor Dubvessa said, sounding amused. "In that case, everyone should pick a book from _that_ bookcase to read by next class and we will see how else Muggles view magic."

Afterward, Scorpius didn't dare pull the book from his bag until he sure he was alone. The thought of the other Ravenclaws catching him reading a Muggle book ended in each mind-scenario in absolute embarrassment and in a few cases, Martin Goldstein jinxing him. Malfoys did not read muggle literature. At least, not in public.

The book he had pulled from the shelf was titled _Greek Mythology_. If anyone walked into the dorm now, he could at least claim family history, with the Malfoy tradition of mythical names. Denying would have been a lot harder if he taken a book like the one Rose had shown him, called _Macbeth_. "It's about three witches who tell a muggle a prophecy about him becoming king and he destroys everything to get it." Rose had told him at dinner, swallowing her rhubarb crumble.

"So, they are Seers then?" Scorpius suggested.

Rose wiped at her mouth with a napkin. "Not really. The prophecy only came true because he made it happen. Well, maybe not because later, they do make another one that comes true. But Shakespeare (that is the author's name, Scorpius, don't be prat), he had a really twisted idea of witches. There's this whole, long scene where they are making a potion, and they are sacrificing all sorts of wicked things: dragon scales, toads," Rose rattled as she flipped through _Macbeth_ for the exact quote. "And finger of birth-strangled babe."

"I don't remember using baby fingers as a potions ingredient," Scorpius managed, feeling queasy. Rose had also stopped eating dessert then too.

"Well, that's the point." She said. "They are making an evil spell, it's all Dark Magic. _Double double toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble. By the prickings of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes._"

According to Professor Dubvessa though, when he had shown her what book he was borrowing so she could make note of it, the ancient Greeks believed in gods and goddesses and the rare mortal blessed by them rather than just magic. So, with any luck, any magic he read in this book would be a lot more positive than Rose's _Macbeth_.

He flipped past the copyrights to the first story, entitled _Oedipus_.

_So Laius, King of Thebes, went to an oracle known as__Teiresias, to ask for any warnings of destruction that was heading to set upon his kingdom. And Teiresias foretold that the child born to him by his queen, Jocasta, would slay his father and wed his mother._

_What. The. __**Hell**__._ What kind of kid, even a Muggle, would kill their father and marry their own mother? Well, maybe killing their father had been done before…Voldemort had done it and he wasn't the first or last either. But even in the old days of pureblood families, they usually drew the line at marrying anything more closely related than a cousin. Unless they were truly inbred and insane. _Come to think of it, maybe I can just think of it like that…this kid is going to become an inbred pureblood. A waterblood._ Scorpius flipped the page over and continued on.

_So in time, a son was born. The infant's feet were riveted together and he was left to die on Mount Cithaeron by a shepherd. But feeling the guilt and wishing to be given the mercy of the gods for disobeying, delivered him to another shepherd, who took him to his master, the King of Corinth, known as Polybus._

Scorpius spent Saturday in the library, writing out his essay on _Oedipus_ for Sorcery and Society. The story had almost sickened him; it wasn't as he had presumed from the first paragraph, similar to waterbloods obsessed with their purity. Instead, Oedipus, actually reminded him of…Oedipus was really just a guy trying to not do anything wrong.

_**Oedipus**__, is a muggle myth written by Sophocles and dating back to the times of Ancient Greece. Although witches and wizards existed and lived in such times, due to the popular beliefs that immortal and all-powerful beings known as gods and goddesses ruled over mortals, having powers made muggles assume that they had been blessed by the gods. So, in muggle mythology, while magic is not a common occurrence, intervention by the gods or those blessed mortals was. For example, King Laius turned to the Seer Teiresias to foretell any dangers he should be wary of. And likewise, the title character Oedipus encounters a sphinx and is given a riddle. _Scorpius started, scrawling out the first paragraph of his essay.

"If you liked _Oedipus_, you'd like reading _Metamorphoses_ too," a young voice said. For a moment, Scorpius mistaken it for Albus's sister, proud-to-be-a-Ravenclaw Lily Luna Potter, whom he had seen a few times since in the common room. But looking up, there was a different young girl, one possibly even too young for Hogwarts.

"Maybe the story of King Midas in it would suit you," she continued. She was possibly nine years old, with gold-white hair and a small pair of sunglasses, Dubvessa in miniature. Unlike the Hogwarts students, who out of uniform, wore muggle-style clothing, she wore a dark-colored dress and she smiled at him, silver glinting off her teeth like some of the muggleborns he had seen, calling them 'braces'. Rose's younger brother, Hugo, who was also in Ravenclaw, had come back from the holidays sporting them too.

"Um, no thanks. This is just for class," Scorpius told her, but far from being deterred into wandering off elsewhere, she pulled up a chair next to him and scanned over his work.

"You should refer to the seer Teiresias's history by drawing from other myths, specifically his affinity with snakes and suggest that he may be a parseltongue."

He gaped at her for a moment, before Scorpius managed to swallow. There was no doubt now that this girl was related to Professor Dubvessa, but it was almost funny in a way. For all her youth and braces-gleaming grin, she was practically swallowed up by her large, black dress and her serious, intellectual manner.

"Are you working on your writing for class, Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Dubvessa asked as she passed by his table, her arms full of books needing to be shelved.

"Yes, ma'am." Scorpius replied, glancing at his essay of an opening paragraph.

"Then you shouldn't be bothering the students, Claudia. It's their homework, not yours." She corrected the girl beside him.

"Homework? I'm doing it for fun!" Claudia protested, swinging her black boots underneath the chair.

"If you want fun, Claudia, you can try translating it into Greek. Or help put away books. Or even find Cecilia." Dubvessa replied, laying down the rest of the books on the table in front of her. With a sigh, Claudia bounced out of her chair and carried the large stack of books away.

"I hope my daughter wasn't disturbing you, Scorpius. What did you think of _Oedipus_?"

"It wasn't what I expected it to be." Scorpius admitted. "Rose was telling me about her book, Macbeth, and I thought it would be like that, a muggle using a prophecy as an excuse to murder everyone and become king."

It was moments like these that Scorpius wished he could discern her eyes behind the darkly-tinted glass of her eyeglasses. It was uncomfortable as she regarded him, smoothing a perfectly-in-place hair in her bun.

"How eristic." Professor Dubvessa decided. "Would you possibly mind going first, giving your presentation on how muggles view magic in Oedipus next Friday?"

"Not at all," he stammered slightly.

"Excellent," she declared. "In that case, I'll leave you to finish your work."

* * *

**So, chapter four! On the advice of my beta, Ast, I'm ressurecting the chapter question: "What would YOU like to see done with Sorcery and Society?" What should they learn, what should they study? I have quite a few ideas already, but I'd like to see what my readers come up with!**

**Last chapter's riddle must have been easier than I thought: Yellow 14, Twister Raver and Brighton Belle all had the correct answer! On a side note, Yellow 14 wrote a story which was inspired by a review for this series. I highly encourage everyone to go read it!**

**To my Loyal but Shy Reader: Thank you for your review! The try-outs are coming within the next few chapters. We will be seeing more of the next generation Ravenclaws in this story! Lily is especially fun to write. College hopefully won't get in the way of my writing (and it better not considering I'm a Creative Writing minor), as I truly enjoy writing these characters growing up from the kids I first imagined them as to the adults I hope they will become. It's like being a mother, I guess. As for Rose, I agree: she's not the second coming of Hermione! (likewise with Hugo, is not Ron Jr.). As a matter of fact, none of these kids are thier parents, something I really want to emphasize in this series. Thanks again for you review!**


	5. Something Wicked

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 5: Something Wicked

* * *

When Monday came, Scorpius found himself being escorted by Elora to his first ever Muggle Studies class. It was mandatory for all third and fourth years (except when one is unconscious in the Hospital Wing like last week) and according to Elora it was taught by an old Squib by the name of Figg who raised kneazles.

Muggle Studies passed very slowly as Professor Figg wrote out every word of their notes on the chalkboard. Half the time, Scorpius would have to wait for her to finish writing before she moved enough for him to see what she wrote.

"I expect all of you have finished your essays for me on how wizards depict Muggles," Professor Figg said stoutly, passing a small basket to a Gryffindor up front to deposit her homework into. _Essay?_ Scorpius thought in horror. Elora flinched beside him, glancing and raising her hand.

"Longbottom," Professor Figg called on her as the class shuffled the homework basket along.

"Scorpius Malfoy was out sick last class and I forgot to give him the assignment. It's my fault, Professor, that he doesn't have it," Elora announced honestly.

"Well, no use crying over spilled potion, so sit down and hand in your own work. Malfoy, I expect you to write a foot long essay on how wizards commonly view Muggles, ready for next class," Professor Figg instructed as Elora put her own work in the basket and passed it along to the next row. "Now, can anyone explain what led to Muggle civilization separating from the wizarding world?"

Harriet from Gryffindor raised her hand. "The Statute of Secrecy?"

"That was the result. Anyone else?" Figg declared pointedly.

No one else raised their hand.

"Well then! I suppose that you can't teach old wands new tricks! Why Cuthbert is still teaching…" she muttered. "The last time in history that Muggles and wizards lived together in peace and knowledge was the time of Camelot. After it fell upon King Arthur's death, the Wizarding world formed it's own government and it wasn't until 1692 that the International Confederation of Wizards decided to create the Statute and go officially into hiding worldwide. But, how did the Muggles fend for themselves so well without wizarding interference?"

Another Gryffindor raised a hand. "But doesn't their Minister have to answer to us? Don't we still tell them what to do and such?"

"No, Mr. Thane! If anything, Minister Finch-Fletchely answers to them, and informs them of anything that may occur in the Wizarding World that would effect them likewise," Professor Figg scolded, clapping her hands. "Really, did any of you read even the first chapter of your books? And Ravenclaw! How did Muggles get along without us?"

The class dragged on and on and Scorpius was relieved when it ended, even with Professor Figg issuing another essay on top of the one he already owed.

At least in Transfiguration, he could feel a bit more proper, like an actual wizard. Here, he and Albus were working on their rabbit to slippers transfigurations again, with Teddy Lupin twiddling his wand as he assisted a pair of Slytherin girls. It's not that Scorpius _disliked _Muggles or that he would ever call a Muggleborn a…you know what. The first (and last) time he ever repeated what one of his father's friends said, his mouth had been Scourgified. But still, they clearly were well off enough alone, so why should he be bothered by learning about them?

The rest of the week passed much quicker when not in Muggle Studies: Arithmancy and Alchemy especially were interesting, although he wished they could just get past the monotonous, endless pile of notes with more promised for next class. It was like the first week of Hogwarts as a first year all over again. Luckily, his old classes were much more involved…both interesting and more difficult. Scorpius didn't have to worry about losing interest in Herbology, for example, when Professor Longbottom showed them the Devil's Snare that Friday morning on September 13th.

"It looks much like the harmless Flitterblooms you studied in your first year," he noted, holding his lit wand out in front of him. The greenhouse was as bleak as night and Scorpius's knee hurt from colliding with a watering can in the dark. "The long, swaying vines." He managed to stroke it, letting it wind around his wrist until the wand drew close and the plant slid off. "But it is far from harmless…Devil's Snare tends to suffocate whatever it catches to death. Fortunately, it fears both light and heat and especially fire. Wands out, everyone, use _lumos_ and get to repotting!"

Scorpius managed to get their Devil's Snare replanted only because of the new spells he had learned in Defense this year. Professor Thomas was having the rest of the class learn the Shield Charm and he was used as a human target for Rose's spell work. Luckily, she was a quick study and he only had to suffer the Jellyleg Jinx and the Chuckling Charm.

His legs still felt wobbly as Albus helped half-drag him into the Charms classroom several hours later. Hestumbled into a seat before Professor Jones started in on her lesson. "Cheering Charms were invented by Felix Summerbee, and are a bit tricky to master for most third years. It's not just in the wrist and incantation; you need to have the proper intent to go with it. Being overly angry or weepy won't help your casting. Partner up, everyone. The incantation is _Letifice Sursum_." She demonstrated. "Have at it!"

Scorpius pulled out his wand and attempted to cast it on Albus with little success. As Albus got ready to cast it one of the Slytherins sharing their table, Fabian Eglamour, spoke out.

"I hear you fainted on the train, Malfoy."

Eglamour had always been a rude git and was one of the few Slytherins whose wizarding families had stayed out of Slytherin house almost entirely.

"Shut up," Scorpius said brusquely. No happy feelings or warm fuzziness spread over him as Albus tried the incantation so Scorpius lifted his wand again.

"Well, you know how it comes out in the old pureblood families," Fabian continued. Fabian's partner squirmed in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with this confrontation.

"Up yours, Fabian." Albus snapped. The Slytherin streak in him was showing, something dark and dominant. "Don't be jealous just because the only thing that came out in yours was Squibs."

Fabian's face darkened but he backed off, turning his back to cast the Cheering Charm on Diana Moon.

Scorpius, however, was born with the same Slytherin streak as Albus and wasn't about to let another snake take his kill. "And just so you know, I got hit in the head by a Bludger earlier this summer," he lied. "I'm trying for the Quidditch team this year. When's your try-outs?"

Scorpius knew perfectly well that Slytherin had their try-outs last week. Fabian's temples turned the colour of raspberries; he hadn't made the team.

"So, a little mental weakness that you can't take a Bludger?" Fabian hissed. "That must run in the family, I hear your aunt had a head wound herself."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Maximillian, who was listening in to their conversation, stiffen and raise his wand high. Scorpius swung his wand from Albus's face to the left and cried out, "_Letifice Sursum_!"

The effect was instantaneous—Maximillian doubled over, wheezing hysterically. A clown-sized grin split his face in half.

"Oh drat and darn!" Professor Jones said approaching him. "I think you overdid it, Mr. Boot. He'll need the Hospital Wing for some peace and quiet—"

"I'll take him, Professor," Scorpius offered, slinging one arm over his shoulder.

Victoire Weasley ushered them in once Scorpius had pulled his cousin up a flight of stairs. Maximillian was given a hospital bed with privacy partitions around it while he drank down a Sobriety Solution. The effect was fairly slow, but Maximillian came around by the end of the period.

"How are you?" Scorpius asked quietly.

"You should have let me curse him," Maximillian said harshly. "It wasn't about you, Scorpius. That was my mother!"

"What good would a detention have done her?" Scorpius argued. "She's dead."

"Don't you think I know that?" Maximillian said in a quiet voice. "Ashleigh still cries at night. And I had to go to her funeral. You were there, don't you remember?"

Scorpius stood, backing away. "I remember fine."

And he fled, running out of there and away from his cousin, retreating to his dormitory and collapsing, shaking on his bed.

Was Fabian right? Was his passing out on the train nothing but madness? An inherited trait from his Aunt Daphne or possibly something even deeper in his own family? The dark and malevolent eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange gleamed at him from behind his closed eyes. He blinked, trying to get her out of his head.

_He was on horse-back, a black steer riding past the peasants in the fields and lords in great castles, down the serpentine road. His armor clanked as the black horse galloped. At the end of the road, over the crest of a hill, a tower rose up, spiraling higher into the sky. A sole window was cut into the stonework and a doll-sized figure peered out it. _

_As he made it over the hill, a deafening roar reached his ears. There was a dragon guarding the castle—a huge, black scaled dragon with a ridged spine and brilliantly purple eyes, the long tail wound around the tower, ready to thrash and bring it down. _

_He charged, lifting his shield higher and fought with a clanking of his sword. Sparks flew from where the sword hit the dragon's scales. _

_The dragon was in a fury, hissing fire and lunging. In a sudden decision, he leapt off the horse and using his sword, wedged a chink in the stone. _

_As the horse screamed a death shriek and the dragon devoured it, he climbed the tower. _

_At the top, he got a hand on to the ledge and pulled himself up to it, smiling at the maiden inside for a moment before it fell._

_She was tall and curved, dressed in the old-medieval clothes that Anastasia wore. Her hair was black and her eyes wicked and mad as she giggled._

_She pointed her wand at him. "__**Avada Kedarva**__," she issued. And he fell back off the ledge, into the dragon's mouth below._

Scorpius woke up with a gasp before either the flash of green light or the dragon's teeth could clamp down. Another dream. That was all it was, just a dream. From far away, he could still hear the bells ringing though. Three bells, four bells…It was four o'clock.

It was four o'clock! He had slept through his free period and he was late for Sorcery and Society, on the day of his report! Scorpius snatched up his bag and ran down the stairs and through the halls, making it down to the fourth floor just as Professor Dubvessa was putting away roll call.

"Here, I'm here," he gasped as he rushed in, brandishing his book. The rest of the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors, including Elora, were already there and looked startled at his sudden appearance.

"Would you like to start off the class by giving us your presentation then, Mr. Malfoy?"

He nodded, left his bag on the empty seat next to Elora, and walked up to the front of the class with his copy of _Oedipus Rex_ in hand.

"_Oedipus Rex_ was written by a Greek named Sophocles. Oedipus's life is dictated by a prophecy, stating that he will one day kill his father and wed his mother. Even though Oedipus is a Muggle myth, there are some magical elements. There is the Seer, who makes the prophecy and helps it come true. There are other legends about this Seer, about how he carries a staff of snakes and he can understand them, so possibly he's a Parselmouth. But if Oedipus's father hadn't heard the prophecy, he would have kept his son and they would have been happy. And if Oedipus hadn't heard the prophecy, he wouldn't have left home trying to prevent it."

"Very good," Professor Dubvessa said quietly. "So, what does this mean for us, Scorpius?"

"That wizards are more capable than Muggles," Scorpius stated. "The Seer Teiresias is the only one who knew what was really going on the whole time and the rest of them just ended up destroying each other. And even after Teiresias told Oedipus the truth, he kicked him out, just like Muggles used to do to wizards before we went into hiding."

Professor Dubvessa looked down at him, almost like she was sneering at him behind her dark glasses. But her voice seemed very calm and nonchalant. "You almost touched on one of the central themes of the story, Scorpius. Truth versus Ignorance," she wrote on the chalkboard. "Or Blindness versus Sight. Teiresias is blind, yet he is a Seer. Can anyone explain to me why?"

A hand was tentatively raised by a Ravenclaw. "That because he was blind to what seemed true, he could see the inner truth?"

"More, Miss Van Meer, explain more."

Another voice called out, a Gryffindor without a hand raised. "Is that why Oedipus blinded himself in the end?"

Dubvessa turned on the boy but she smiled. "Hand next time, Mr. Thane. Yes, Oedipus blinded himself to be like the Seer, because he now saw the truth too. But what does this mean for us, today, thousands of years after _Oedipus Rex_?"

Silence. The class was stumped, but Dubvessa carried on. "That perhaps by lying to Muggles, we are setting them up for tragedy? Or that by revealing our existence to them now, after they've lived all these years in peace, we would destroy them instead?"

* * *

**Happy day after Thanksgiving! Did anyone else like the new Harry Potter movie? I went to the midnight premiere with my Quidditch team dressed as a Slytherin student/young Asteria Greengrass. One person recognized me as Asteria and they took my picture PLUS I came in second place for the costume contest, won the trivia contest and got a poster!**

**Chapter question...I'm assuming everybody else dreams and I'm quite fascinated by mine...have you ever had a really interesting dream, or a re-occuring one or even achieved lucidity?  
**


	6. Fly like an Eagle

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 6: Fly like an Eagle

* * *

A row of pawns stared down at the Queen and her fellow Knight with beady onyx eyes. The battlefield was barely touched, yet the black side already looked triumphant, with the pieces (minus one surrendered pawn) surrounding the King as Hugo Weasley leaned back in his seat with a ridiculous grin.

"Your move," he said casually as a few Ravenclaws whooped. Lily didn't whoop with them, but she moved her head from leaning over Hugo's one shoulder to the other side, brushing back his whorls.

Scorpius fingered his broom as it leaned against his knee. Try-outs started in nine minutes, but nobody would ever see him walk away from a game not won. To give up in Ravenclaw House was tantamount to suicide, but conceding defeat was quite another matter, especially when you'd be late for Quidditch try-outs; even if it meant losing to a second year's chess match.

"_Checkmate," he heard a voice -**his** voice- say, pushing the Knight to the F3. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a Quidditch try-out…"_

Scorpius blinked and stared at the board. Hugo had moved his Bishop to challenge Scorpius's Knight and left the Queen to guard the King and any who would threaten her pawns. Gratefully, he issued, "Knight to F3," he added, the Black Knight left his Queen's side, moving to the space before the Bishop and an empty pawn's spot. "Checkmate."

Hugo grinned. "You're wrong. Bishop, take that Knight."

But the Bishop didn't move. Hugo scowled as suddenly the little king threw down his crown and the chess pieces' swords fell in defeat.

"But...but," he spluttered, braces glinting in disbelief.

"If your Bishop took my Knight, my Queen would have a direct path to the King." Scorpius said smugly, pointing out the vertical path. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a Quidditch try-out."

.

"All right, I want those trying out for Chaser in the air!" Eliza Higgins was shouting as Scorpius ran on to the field. She was a normal looking girl with long brown hair and bangs and brown eyes, but she was quite grim and almost mean when it came down to it. The possible Chasers flew into the air for trials. Scorpius was kept waiting throughout the Chasers and Seeker trials, his head aching from all the whistle-blowing before Eliza came back down to earth. "That's it then. Quinn Fawcett, Adam Redmayne, welcome to the team. The rest of you can clear off now!"

"Wait," Scorpius called out, holding up his Jupiter 170 as he ran to catch up with her. "What about Keeper?"

Eliza grunted. "We already filled that position. Dominique was training Drew before she left and I think we can have him take over." Drew nodded bluntly behind her. He wasn't the tallest of the team, but he looked rather intimidating, like a hawk.

Lauren Clearwater, a sixth year Chaser, yawned. "Why not let the kid try out? Another practice for Drew, Eliza."

Eliza considered this and nodded. "Up in the air, kid. We'll watch five goals." Drew was already twenty feet above as Scorpius kicked off. The whistle blew from below and Scorpius began to shift his position, trusting his feet to keep him steady as Drew began circling around, Quaffle in hand.

Drew flew in fast, trying for a straight fly to the left hoop. Scorpius swooped in sideways after him and kicked out, knocking into Drew's shoulder, and the red ball dropped through the hoop. _Damn it!_ After a moment, Drew backed off and flew low to retrieve the Quaffle and start back at mid-field.

_Ok. Pull yourself together here, Scorpius. Ten points won't lose a game…well, if Bulgaria had ten more points, they would have tied in the 1994 World Cup…shut up!_

Drew repeated the attempts three more times, each one more creative than the last. A long-distance throw, coming up from underneath, zigzagging…But the score was still only ten as Drew came close one last time. Scorpius was still drawing only shallow breaths though. _Hold it together, Scorpius, just one more…_

The sun slid out from behind a cloud and momentarily blinded Scorpius before hiding again. He blinked several times but everything seemed too dark. His hands started to slide against the wooden grip.

_Rose was looking up at him and she was grinning. "Thank you! I love it, it's absolutely perfect," she gushed. A gold chain was slithering through her fingers with a fluttering gold ball that had tiny wings…no, it was a red ball that was hurtling towards him—_

_The Quaffle!_ Scorpius lunged forward almost immediately, trying to grab it before it flew through the hoop—it slid through his fingers…

Sixty feet below, the whistle blew. Drew descended near him and grabbed a hold of Scorpius's broom, letting the Quaffle fall out of the hoop to the ground.

"You ok there?" Drew said. "You looked you like you started to pass out."

"I hit my head over the summer with a Bludger and it started to ache again. Guess I'm still not ready to fly anyways," Scorpius said tersely. That lie was coming more and more in handy as these _**things **_continued to happen.

When they reached the ground, there were now two teams waiting for them. The Hufflepuffs were all there so they could hold their try-outs but Ravenclaw had waited around to give them the official word.

"Drew, Dominique did a good job training you," Higgins said firstly. "We are going to work a bit on how you should interact with the other players, but practicing as Chaser really helps you understand how many different ways you need to protect the hoops."

Not interested in listening to the praise over Drew, Scorpius had made it to the edge of the field before he heard his name being bellowed.

"MALFOY!" Eliza Higgins was shouting at him. The team was picking up their things behind her as Hufflepuff got set up around them. "We might need a reserve. Two out of five isn't bad. I'll keep you in mind."

Scorpius nodded and this time, made it all the way to the door before he was interrupted again. Rose was standing in the doorway with another redhead, both of them carrying brooms.

"Scorpius!" Rose said quickly and she sounded delighted. "Did you just finish your Quidditch try-outs?"

Scorpius shrugged, trying a nonchalant approach. "Turns out they didn't need a try-out for Keeper, already had a new one picked out. Higgins said she'd keep me in mind as a Reserve."

"Oh," Rose said. "I'm sorry…but as a Reserve, you might get a chance to play and they'll need someone to replace them once they've graduated," she encouraged.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we've got to run," The older redhead girl said then. "Hufflepuff try-outs are being held right now."

Scorpius had to jog to keep up with the two of them, dragging his broom along too. "I thought you were already on the team," he said to Rose.

Rose shook her head. "I am but Gawain wanted the whole team there for try-outs. Besides, I helped Molly train all summer for this."

Scorpius took another glance at Molly. She was usually in his head as "the other Hufflepuff Weasley". And she did have that same, astonishingly red shade of hair though it was done neatly in a ponytail unlike Rose's tangled curls. And Molly's eyes were brown instead of blue but she and Rose were almost to the inch the same height.

The autumn wind blew into their faces, turning their cheeks pink and whipping their robes behind them. For a brief second, Scorpius realized how…_revealing_ Molly's Quidditch robes were, that they showed off her chest's shape. She was obviously an older cousin of Rose's then. Not that Rose was as young as Lily Potter though; Rose's robes didn't lie nearly as flat as they used too—

Scorpius hoped that the two of them would think that his cheeks were pink from the wind and nothing else.

He ended up sitting in the stands and watching the Hufflepuff try-outs too. While Scorpius's eyes looked up blankly at the sky, his mind turned back to the lost moment during his try-out.

_What was that about? Is it possible to have a dream while awake? Or even fall asleep that quickly? No…Why did I think of Rose, and thanking me of all things? Was it for that gold chain?_

Scorpius's musings were cut short by the whistle. Below him, the remainder of the Hufflepuff team pulled the rest of them together, including Molly Weasley. Not that knowing who was playing for what really mattered to him, since he wouldn't be playing against them.

.

Monday morning brought Muggle Studies again, which was quickly becoming his least favorite class. If it wasn't for Elora sitting beside him, he might not make it through to Transfiguration.

"How come we share so many classes together this year?" Scorpius suddenly realized. Up until now, his classes had been evenly shared with the other three houses, but he was seeing more and more of Elora this year than of Rose and Albus. Elora had looked up at him and frowned, squeezing her face as she thought. "I mean, I used to have the same number of classes together with each house but this year—"

"Oh!" Elora exclaimed, her face relaxing, smoothing itself out. "It still is, it's just that you didn't sign up for the classes that you'd take with the Hufflepuffs or Slytherins but the ones you did chose are shared with Gryffindor."

"Not that it is a _**bad**_ thing," Scorpius tried to backtrack. "I like my new classes and Gryffindor. _Most_ of my new classes."

"And most of Gryffindor?" Elora nudged him.

"Well, I like you." Scorpius admitted. "You're straight up about things and you're not nearly as mental as Albus and Rose are half the time."

Elora's cheeks turned pinker and his face felt like it had heated up. When he had first met his friends, when Elora was the height of the Gryffindor entrance, things had seemed so easy and _innocent _between them. Calling Rose mental (which she was, for her insane amount of loyalty to the point where she'd ditched Macmillian for a week once because he implied disliking Scorpius) seemed a bit dangerous now, not just because she could use a Beater's bat but what if she turned against him too? He'd lose one of his best friends and Albus would refuse to interfere. At least Elora would bother to push him down to the ground and walk away if their friendship was ever destroyed.

When Professor Figg arrived then, Scorpius was grateful for the distraction of shuffling his essays into the bin with everyone else's as Figg took order.

Monday passed quickly in a blur of assignments and classes. Three weeks into school and classes like Transfiguration and Potions were deceptively detailed down to the angle he had to hold his wand and the temperature needed for his Swelling Solution. On the other hand, they were still covering the basics and writing twelve pages of notes in all of the new classes. Since the first day, Scorpius had yet to actually translate anything in Ancient Runes. In fact, nothing of any interest happened until Thursday morning.

As soon as the door had shut, Professor Longbottom got to work. He partnered them up (Albus was allowed to be paired with Scorpius with a brief nod and wink from the teacher) and they were sent off to their tables with the Devil's Snare plants for a trimming, lest they break free of their pots.

"_Lumos!_" Albus ordered sharply, as Scorpius let the plant slither into the scissors, snapping another vine off. Herbology was horribly hot and sweaty work, even worse when the year was still feeling unbearably like summer. Sweat slipped down the back of his neck and Albus's face had turned red from exertion.

Then, that uncanny, unnatural feeling. The one that felt almost like a twitch. The scissors slid loosely in his hand. Scorpius tried to blink rapidly, to force his mind to stay.

"Scorpius?" Albus heard him ask. And then there was the sound of something laughing-a woman. The cruelest cackle Scorpius had ever heard.

He turned his head away from Albus to see who was laughing. His stomach dropped and his heart started pounding. Scorpius raised his hand higher, pointing the shears at her, but it was just his wand and it shook fearfully in her face.

_Bellatrix Lestrange laughed again. She was just as wicked and absolutely terrifying as his father had said, smoothly sliding a wand out from her robes, curling her tongue as she brandished it. She had been Voldemort's right hand servant, even more so than his own family. She was the same woman from his dream with the dragon. And she was about to kill him again._

_Then the door jiggled behind him. Locked. Scorpius was in a panic, closing his eyes so not to let her look into his mind. _

"_Alohomora," he heard a girl's voice issue the spell from behind the door. His eyes opened wide and looked to the door as it opened._ _There was a scream, wide hazel eyes_, a cry of pain and his hand was covered in blood.

"SCORPIUS!" Albus suddenly was there again, shouting his ear. There were no dark, gleaming eyes glaring down at him, only Professor Longbottom's kindly, concerned and hazel eyes. But his hand still hurt.

Scorpius looked down and almost yelled at the sight of it. His hand _was_ covered in blood. So was the scissors that matched the vertical cut into the palm of his hand.

Thankfully, Professor Longbottom was not one for asking questions. He slapped a hand down on Scorpius's shoulder and steered him past Albus in the back room. "Pack up and head out to your next class, a few minutes early won't hurt your grades!" Before shutting the door out on the class.

Scorpius stood there dazedly as he rummaged through a large metal case, pulling out a white strip of bandaging and with a tap of his wand, began siphoning blood off before neatly tying it around his hand. "Professor, I'm so sorry…" Scorpius started hastily as Professor Longbottom tightened the bandage.

"No trouble at all. I'm just surprised you managed to cut yourself so deeply without noticing it right away." He said, adjusting it again.

"I had my mind on other things," Scorpius stretched the truth. It wasn't an exact fib but Longbottom looked up at him then like he knew otherwise.

"I received the owl the conductor sent ahead to warn us that you were unconscious. Was your mind going the same place it did then?" He asked baldly.

Scorpius could feel his insides shriveling. "No, I didn't see anything like that."

He suddenly stood up, not even stopping to dust off his knee. Despite his summer growth, the teacher still loomed over him, making Scorpius feel rather short again. "You _saw_ something? What did you see?"

He tried to catch the words. Names like hers, dark wizards and the Dark Arts, you didn't speak of. But her name came out in the quietest of mumbles. "_Bellatrix Lestrange_."

Longbottom stumbled, slamming his knee into the desk and growled - an indistinct sound that could have been a swear - before he limped into his seat.

"She's dead," he finally stated, staring at Scorpius straight on from his seat. "She was defeated just before Voldemort went down. Years before you were born."

"About a week ago, I had a dream and she was in it. And I saw her again today, she was there and about to kill me and then…" Scorpius trailed off. _Elora's hazel eyes wide with horror when she saw Bellatrix..._That reminded him of two years ago. "You don't think it could be connected with when he…Voldemort's ghost…tried to possess me?"

"I'm not an expert, Scorpius, but I don't see how that is possible. He's not a ghost anymore," Longbottom corrected him. "Have you just only seen her? In these moments?"

Scorpius shook his head, trying to recall that first moment. When had it all started?

"I think I always have," he said surprising himself. Seeing how alike their eyes were triggered something…hadn't he seen the potion brewing in the girls' bathroom before he reached it in their first year? Or that Rose should go to the Quidditch pitch early last year, when she ran into Peeves and found that bottle of Felix Felices. "Just the train ride was the first time I ever fell unconscious like that."

Professor Longbottom eyed him and finally stood up, a gentler hand on his shoulder. "I'll excuse you to your next class if you feel fine. I need to go talk to Professor Thomas anyways-"

"I have her next," Scorpius answered, picking up his bag as they exited the greenhouse. A gaggle of first years were waiting, including the ones from his own house, but Professor Longbottom waved a hand at them, shooing them inside and continued on with him.

"I'll just need a moment with her while you settle into class." He commented, never losing Scorpius in his rather short strides. Neither of them spoke the rest of the way there, so Scorpius heard the explosion of discussion coming the classroom all the way down the hallway. The Ravenclaws hadn't lost any time letting the Hufflepuffs know, that by the sounds of it, his accident had turned into a desperate plea for help, a suicide attempt. By lunch, the Slytherins would have told the Gryffindors that he had tried to kill Albus.

Professor Thomas was valiantly trying to regain the focus of her class when they entered and silence broke out. Scorpius slipped by Professor Longbottom and into his seat next to Rose as Professor Longbottom hung there in the doorway.

"Lavender, can I speak to you for a moment? I'm the sure the class can be trusted to stay situated." Professor Thomas nodded in surprise and followed. The door hadn't fully swung shut after them before the class exploded again.

"He's trying to warn her-"

"He's after the Weasleys and Potters, one by one, I bet."

"Malfoy!"

Scorpius could only shrink his head lower to the desk than ever, wishing that he wasn't a Malfoy. But even hiding his face and the grey eyes, he was still an easy target with a head full of the white-blond Malfoy hair. Exactly like the rest of his family.

* * *

**I'm back! Special thanks to Ast, who swore to me on Luna Lovegood that she'd get this chapter back to me. :) I took a break over the holidays to focus on my finals and to start working on Year 4. I have finally decided to use the intial title which I will reveal in an upcoming chapter (in case I change my mind, but that's unlikely)!**

**Two of my very good readers pointed out that my orginal chess win was impossible; I confess to not being very good at Chess! I have fixed it since. The chess move Scorpius wins with is called _Kostics Trap_.**

**Other recent events...since my last chapter, I have published a series of drabbles focusing on the Ravenclaws of the next generation (including Scorpius!) and a Roxanne/Lysander oneshot that I highly recommend reading. And reviewing. :)**


	7. Professor Thomas' Test

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 7: Professor Thomas's Test

* * *

"Malfoy!"

Scorpius raised his head as Rose repeated herself. "_**Malfoy**_!"

"What?" he hissed groggily.

She grabbed his hand, flipping it palm downside up. "What _happened_?"

Her fingers were cool and actually felt nice against his aching hand, but Scorpius pulled back. "I cut myself with the shears in Herbology. It's fine."

The door opened back before Rose could prod further, metaphorically or literally, as Professor Thomas walked past them to her desk and picked up a pile of papers.

"Surprise test today," she announced, much to the general displeasure of the class. But the curious stares turned away from Scorpius and to their tests, much to his pleasure. She laid his test down at his desk and he read over the first question. 1) _Name the first name given to Dementors (circa 1220). _"When you are finished, you may leave your test as my desk and go."

Scorpius picked up his quill and neatly wrote in the first answer and continued on to question two. 2) _What charm can be used against a transfigured human out of their unhuman form? Bonus: how can it be used defensively? _The scratching of quills filled the air. Beside him, Rose was twitching her quill between her fingers, getting her fingertips inky.

There was forty minutes left of class when Scorpius walked up to the desk, holding his test out to Professor Thomas. Her intensely pretty face was hiding behind today's _Daily Prophet_ but she must have heard his footsteps as she put it down right away, the page still opened to the political cartoons.

She waved a hand towards the front row of desks as she picked up his test. "Take a seat, Scorpius. I'd like to have a conference with you after class."

Despite the fading interest of the class, now preoccupied by their test, their interest was raised again as he took a seat. Again and again, as students stood up to hand in their tests and leave, covert glances were snuck in his direction. Rose was the second to last one to leave and Scorpius knew that she must have dawdled as when he had gotten up, she had already also been on the last page of her test. But Professor Thomas dismissed her and the other Hufflepuff who had taken their time, waving them out and shutting the door.

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Scorpius," she said, turning back towards him. "But I had another test for you and I thought this would be easier to administer in private.

"Er, Professor, I have Potions now," Scorpius tried. Not that Elora needed his help in that class. Even with Jigger being his head of house, it was clear who her best student was.

"Professor Longbottom had already cleared this period with Professor Jigger. She is completely aware of the _situation_." She phrased the word as if it was a delicate matter.

Scorpius tried to swallowed, his throat growing dry. "If this is about what happened in Herbology, I wasn't trying to commit suicide. I was distracted by the plant; it was a Devil's Snare!"

"Scorpius!" Professor Thomas shouted over him. "_We do__** not **__think you were trying to kill yourself!_"

He managed to swallow now, but his voice had shrunk. "Is it one of those Muggle mental tests?"

"No. Not a Rorschach, or anything else like it." She sat in the chair next to him and lifted his hands out his hair. "Just trust me."

Her hands were soft but very warm. Scorpius could smell something floral—_lavender_. Of course, that was her name after all.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent. "What do I have to do?"

"You tell me," Professor Thomas instructed. "Close your eyes first. Tell me what you see."

"It's dark." What did she expect? His eyes were closed. But slowly, colors filled up the darkness, like it always did when he closed his eyes long enough.

"Can you visualize me?" Her voice asked, sliding gently.

Scorpius nodded. Average height but with an overly curved body, long and curly blonde hair, indigo eyes that liked to change shades…

Then the picture changed. Professor Thomas shrunk before his eyes, the hair receding, a thinning body. The little boy looked up at him now, with her eyes and a dimpled smile.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Scorpius kept his eyes closed, but whatever he had seen, it was already gone, retreated back into blackness and the swirling flashes behind his eyelids.

"Scorpius, open your eyes." He obeyed, blinking a few times as Professor Thomas focused in his vision. "What did you see or say? Do you remember?"

"Remember what?" _What exactly was she trying to prove?_ "Nothing happened."

Professor Thomas's face was set firmly in excitement and she stood up quickly. "I want to try one more thing. Bear with me, please. Then I'll let you go scot-free, you can even skip the rest of Potions. Isonia will understand."

_Skive off?_ In three years of Hogwarts, the one and only time Scorpius had missed a class was in May of first year, when he and Albus, Rose and Elora had taken down the ghost of Lord Voldemort. He had been unconscious following the possesionment and then confined to the Hospital Wing until almost June. _What was so important about this test?_

Professor Thomas was now pacing to her desk, practically bouncing with every step from her high heels to her chest.

"I want you to try and interpret something for me. Tell me what you think it means." She told him as she rummaged through her desk. "Aha, here it is!" She held up triumphantly an old deck of cards. Professor Thomas fanned them out and waited for Scorpius to draw one. With hesitant fingers, Scorpius drew, pulling out a card. He flipped it over and stared before he started to turn it right-side up. But Professor Thomas's hand caught his wrist first. "No, don't. If it's reversed, it's meant to be that way. Just tell me about it."

Scorpius slowed turned the card back upside down and studied it. "There are people in black squares, standing up, but they are standing upside down. Their skin is grey and they…they are naked." He flushed and stumbled on. "But the sky is blue and in the sky is another person, bigger than the others. His skin is not grey and he's blowing on a trumpet. He's waving a flag too, it looks like Switzerland's."

"But how does it make you feel?"

_Everyone is silent as thier boats headed towards land, it's too dark to see what's ahead but Rose squeezes his hand and he can hear Albus gasp behind him as they draw nearer..._

"Nervous?" Scorpius suggested. He felt more stupid than anything, really. Why was she judging his answers on such ridiculous criteria? What kind of test was this?

"Does it remind you of anything? Maybe something that happened to you once?" she sounded too eager. Scorpius shut his eyes and opened them again, to get a fresh look at the card.

"I guess…I think it could be a little like riding the boats over the lake, before the Sorting." Scorpius said finally.

Professor Thomas smiled at him, graciously taking the card back and laying it on her desk while she slid the rest of the cards back into her drawer. "Thank you, Scorpius." Relieved that his ordeal, was done, Scorpius shouldered his bag and headed towards the door but was stopped again by Professor Thomas. "Scorpius? I finished grading your test already." She mentioned as she handed it back to him. A wide and flourished _**O **_was already marked on the front page next to his name. When he looked up from his test score to thank her, she was already giving another speech. "Scorpius, I've been very pleased with your grades and aptitude for Defense Against the Dark Arts. You are quite easily the top of your year in my class. In fact, I'd like to issue you an invitation to join the Defense Association."

Over the last two years, Scorpius had heard of the D.A. a few times from both Professor Longbottom and her. Based off the legendary Dumbledore's Army, the two of them taught more advanced defensive magic to the older students.

"It's only open to students graded Excellent and above and are third year or older. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that your three friends also qualify and are welcome to join. It's on Thursday nights at eight and while I think a lot of students enjoy the D.A., I think you are one of the ones who could truly advance by joining."

Scorpius nodded. "I'll think about it. Thank you, Professor Thomas."

"Enjoy the rest of the period, Scorpius," she called after him.

Scorpius didn't know what to make of it. He ended up wandering the halls, not paying any sort of attention to where he was going, just so he could concentrate on thinking.

_What in the name of Salazar bloody Slytherin was that all about? _

She called it…a test. Testing what? He had closed his eyes and hummed it bit, and then described what one of her cards looked like. There was nothing to it. And then, inviting him to join the DA?

Scorpius was so absorbed in his thoughts that it took the bells ringing out to twelve for him to stop pacing the third floor corridor and make his way down to the Great Hall. And even then, he couldn't stop his train wreck of thoughts until he heard his name called out over and over for the third time today.

"Scorpius!" Elora called out, struggling to slip between the crowded rows of people to reach him. "Scorpius, you missed Potions!"

"I know, Professor Thomas excused me," he said wearily.

"She did? What for? Were you seriously hurt? All the Ravenclaws were talking about how you stabbed yourself in Herbology, although Martin Goldstein said that you stabbed Albus."

"I didn't stab Albus and I'm not that hurt," Scorpius said exasperatedly, pulling off the bandage. "Look, it's stopped bleeding ages ago."

Elora eyed the cut, pulling his hand closer to examine. "Then why did Professor Thomas excuse you then?"

"She wanted me to take another test," he told her as they reached the Gryffindor table. Elora sat down but Scorpius kept walking past the Hufflepuff table over to the Ravenclaw's.

Despite his exasperation in reassuring his friends that he was fine, Scorpius couldn't help but feel unnerved. For the whole of his next Herbology class, Professor Longbottom stood the entire time right in front of his desk. In Defense, Professor Thomas's eyes never seemed to leave him alone. And he was so frustrated by the time he had Potions, he upset the cauldron and Elora had to be taken up to the Hospital Wing for an antidote.

But nothing happened. The teachers didn't call on him, aside from Potions, there were no more incidents. The cut on his hand closed up into a dark red slash across the palm of his thumb. In fact, September passed smoothly.

It was the first of October before anything happened again. An owl's hoot interrupted a lunch of soup and sandwiches, swooping down on the Ravenclaw table and tucking its wings in before Scorpius.

"Hello Iris," Scorpius greeted his family's owl. Iris cooed, fluffing her feathers at him. She was a vain and pretty snowy owl, and she had a letter tied around her leg, the address in his mother's handwriting. Scorpius extended a hand to remove the letter when Iris's beak pecked out at his cut.

"Ouch! _Bloody __**hell**_, you stupid owl," Scorpius snapped, yanking back his hand from Iris. She screeched in response and took off with the bacon side of his lunch before landing over at the Head Table. None of the teachers looked surprised to see her, in fact, Professor Sprout even petted her a bit before pulling the letter off her leg. Scorpius's eyes widened as Iris took back off and the headmistress began to read his letter.

Scorpius froze as she passed it along to Professors Longbottom and Thomas before she stood up and started heading his way. He held his breath, counting out her footsteps, waiting for her to intervene instead in the argument at the Hufflepuff table over the answer to their Ancient Runes essay or to stop a foodfight at the Gryffindor table, but she continued to the Ravenclaws.

"Scorpius Malfoy," she said finally. "May I see you in my office?"

The other Ravenclaws quieted as Scorpius stiffly stood and followed her out of the Great Hall. He threw a desperate glance in his head of house's direction, but Professor Jigger was involved in conversation with an old lady, one of the professors he had never had before. The other three tables grew louder as they noticed the Headmistress leaving with the other teachers and a student, the doors of the Great Hall closing behind them.

"Professor Sprout," Scorpius addressed her as he hurried after his teachers. "I think my owl delivered you my letter from home. If I could have it back please…"

"Oh, don't worry Scorpius, I would never take a student's letter," Professor Sprout assured him. "As a matter of fact, that letter was sent from your parents to me."

The churning in his stomach grew. Whatever his parents had to say to the Headmistress couldn't be any good for him, especially if Professor Longbottom and Professor Thomas were involved.

They were silent until they settled into the Headmistress's office ("Begonia!"). Her office was the same as ever: the light shining through the windows looked greenish from the amount of plant life in there. Her quills were kept in a watering can and vines crawled between the portraits.

"Scorpius," Professor Longbottom said finally. "Do you remember that strange test Professor Thomas gave you?"

"Yes."

"The teachers have been discussing the results of this test in conclusion with some other recent events. We shared our findings with your parents and they supported our suggestions with even more evidence of their own."

"Neville, you haven't been an Auror in years, yet you still sound like one," Professor Thomas interrupted. "As Neville is trying to say, we think there's been an awful lot of strange occurrences lately: your collapsing on the train ride, the vision you had in Herbology."

"It was probably just a dream, a bad dream," Scorpius tried to object. But Professor Thomas shook her head.

"Your test answers imply otherwise, Mr. Malfoy. Tell us, have there been _other_ incidents, other dreams or visions?"

Scorpius wanted to gape, but he remembered the Charms lesson, "_a little mental weakness…that must run in the family_".

"_But why doesn't anybody else talk to the people Aunt Daphne does?" Scorpius was nine then and his shoulder hurt from when Aunt Daphne had gripped it earlier, screaming at him. She had called him…_what had she called him? He couldn't remember the name now, but he did remember his mother comforting him afterwards.

_Mummy hesitated. "Because, Scorpius, only Aunt Daphne can hear those people. Everybody else knows they are dead."_

"_So are they dead, or are they not?"_

"_They are dead. But Aunt Daphne doesn't understand that. She's confused…hearing voices no one else can is not good, Scorpius." _

"No."

The other teachers exchanged surprised glances, but Professor Thomas recovered quickest, already back in stride.

"Perhaps he has forgotten. He forgot about whatever he saw in my classroom moments after he mentioned it. And besides, his family suggests the same thing."

"What?" Scorpius barked, finally growing angry. "What are my parents telling you about me behind my back? What's so wrong about me? Am I going mad, some wicked dark insanity deep inside finally coming out?"

The Headmistress flinched. "Scorpius we do not think you are going mad," she tried to soothe him. Scorpius cut his temper short, sitting back far into his chair again, grey eyes flickering from teacher to teacher.

"I'll fetch her," Professor Longbottom volunteered, hurrying out of the room and down the steps.

"Fetch who?" Scorpius asked dully.

"Scorpius," Professor Sprout said, ignoring his question. "We suspect that you may be a Seer."

Her response took him back, causing him to splutter in a most-unMalfoyish way. "Seer? No, I can't be, a Seer…I've never prophesied anything." He ended lamely.

"You displayed all the signs of a Seer having a vision in Herbology, although we don't understand how Bellatrix Lestrange could possibly be in your future." Professor Sprout said, her voice quavering slightly.

"That's why," Scorpius said suddenly, his brain sparking. "That's why all of you were consulting each other. You're worried she might actually come back, not that I might be a Seer."

"We are concerned for you, Scorpius, and for your new abilities, but I won't lie that we are indefinitely more distraught over this vision of yours. Bellatrix Lestrange was a formidable witch, for all her madness. It took an incredible witch to finally bring her down." Professor Thomas said softly.

"So what now?" Scorpius challenged them. "Am I going to be watched until I have another vision, if I am a Seer, so you can figure out what to do about Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"You are a Seer, Scorpius, there is no question about it."

"Why are you so certain?" He demanded. "Seers are rare! They don't just show up, you have to be descended from them too usually, like a Muggleborn."

Professor Sprout held out the letter to him. "We are certain, because according to this, you are descended from a Seer."

* * *

**_Brighton Belle_ and _Yellow 14 _would beat me at chess any day! That's been fixed, thank you both. :) They also guessed fairly early on about what these visions and dreams could possibly mean. **

**A very quick update! Being on break without a job means I'm not earning any money towards a trip to London, but it gives me time to write. You may have noticed I have two other stories up, featuring the next generation. **

**So, read, review (favoriting means nothing, but reviews are the best belated Christmas gifts I could ask for!) and wait and see what happens next time. **


	8. Scorpius the Seer

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 8: Scorpius the Seer

* * *

_Dear Professor Sprout,_

_In response to your inquiry, we searched our family trees for any evidence to support your theory. Much to our surprise, we found an answer._

_Scorpius's great-aunt was indeed a Seer, a fact covered up by her family, or otherwise we would have known to look out for such signs. We are not entirely certain of the extent of her powers, as it seems that her belongings were kept by her husband's family after her death and in any case, our families seemed to have been estranged for years before._

_Please keep us updated on our son's powers. We will look into finding specialists in the Department of Mysteries to help us and we expect Hogwarts will look into the matter as well._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Draco and Asteria Malfoy _

Scorpius read and re-read the letter a few times before silently handing it back to Professor Sprout. His great-aunt, a Seer; _Bellatrix Lestrange_ was a _**Seer**_? Is that why he kept seeing her, was this a connection between them, something that inexplicitly linked them together? Or was it Granna Anna, Teddy's grandmother and his recently discovered great-aunt? But wouldn't she have mentioned the fact she was a Seer? Besides, she wasn't dead—_Bellatrix Lestrange was a Seer_.

The door opened and Professor Jigger entered, leading the old professor from the Head Table. She was quite tall, but very thin, completely swallowed by the overly large shawls and bangles she wore. Her hair was grey and frizzy, her glasses large.

"Scorpius, in light of these recent developments, we think it would be beneficial for you to take up Divination," said Professor Thomas. "It's fairly early into the first semester, so you can still catch up, and learning might unleash more visions, or at least help you manage this better."

"Sybil, this is Scorpius Malfoy, the young seer we told you about," said Professor Sprout. "Scorpius, this is our Divination teacher, Professor Sybil Trelawney."

Professor Trelawney hobbled in, reached out to grab his chin and squinted down at his eyes before she roughly let go. "Grey-eyed people are commonly known to be jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Scorpius asked, rubbing his jaw.

"Tell me, what have you seen in these visions of yours?" said Trelawney, ignoring Scorpius's question. "Any sort of reoccurring symbols?"

"I haven't had any visions," Scorpius said belligerently.

"Scorpius has yet to remember his visions," Professor Thomas said in explanation, "but he did interpret a tarot card for me. One of the Major Arcana, Judgment. I took notes on his reading."

"Humph." Trelawney snorted derisively, but Scorpius was far more interested in what his Defense teacher had said.

"You took notes on my reading? My reading of what?"

Professor Thomas pulled a piece of parchment from her purse and handed it to him. "You may have it. Keep it, read it every once in awhile and see if it makes any more sense to you."

"That's enough chatter for now ladies, Mr. Malfoy," interrupted Professor Sprout. "We all have classes and we've wasted quite enough time as it is. This period is half over, so Sybil, you may escort Scorpius to your class and show him the way."

The meeting adjourned, the teachers followed Professor Trelawney and Scorpius down the stairs and scattered on their way. Scorpius began a quick pace after the deceptively fast Divination teacher.

"I'm a Seer too, you know," she said as they mounted the winding stairs up to the North Tower. "Watch your step—first one in my family for several generations."

"Oh really?" Scorpius said vaguely as they passed a window. He could see a bit of the Great Lake out of it if he craned his neck. He stumbled on the next step, his knee smacking on the stone stairs.

"I told you to watch your step, I saw you would fall," said Trelawney, not even looking back at him.

"Then why not tell me that I'm going to fall and I could have fallen carefully?" Scorpius growled, growing more irritated the longer he spent with her.

She consented to huff and keep to herself the rest of the way, throwing open the trapdoor and leading the way up the ladder. The top of the tower was bathed in a burgundy light, soaked in a heavy scent he didn't recognize and filled with the crackle of a fire burning and the murmurs of students.

"Students," Professor Trelawney announced, raising her hands. "I'm so glad that all of you obeyed my request from last class that you should wait here for me. As I prophesized on the first day, one of the two has finally come to join our number. Mr. Malfoy, take a seat and take out your copy of _Unfogging the Future_."

"Professor, I didn't know—" Scorpius started.

"Sit down! I would have thought a Seer would have known that you'd end up in my class," Professor Trelawney said tartly.

Behind her, Scorpius saw Amelie Van Meer and a Hufflepuff nudging each other over her comment. Scorpius chose to sit down without further comment.

"Today, we will continue our study of the basic symbols seen in Divination," Professor Trelawney continued. "For example, one of the most infamous symbols one may see is the sign of Death. Usually, in the form of a Grim, a skull and crossbones, a hooded figure with a scythe, I'm sure even the most careless of you can determine its meaning. Miss Edgecombe, can you give us an example?"

The Hufflepuff student answered, throwing her braid back over her shoulder with a toss of her head. "Seeing Death means that you or someone close to you is bound to die. Although in Wakefield, we call the Grim a 'Padfoot', Professor."

"That is correct!" Professor Trelawney said with some satisfaction. "I'll have you know class, that some of my former colleagues used to sneer and mock my talents, for seeing the deaths of students every year. Little did they realize that those students…did…" She hiccupped, her words trailing off. She squeezed her eyes shut, sunk into her chair and hiccupped again. "I no longer predict the deaths of my students, no matter how the Inner Eye compels me to tell of it. It is far too great a burden to place on the living and those without the Inner Eye."

"That's absurd," Scorpius muttered apprehensively, but the old bat overheard him in the corner.

"Do you have something to share with us, Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Trelawney said, hiccupping.

"I…dreaming about dying can't mean that you're going to die soon. We all die in the end, anyways, so why should a dream force it—"

"I said it once, and I'll say it again—"

"But I dreamed I died just a few weeks ago!"

Scorpius's blurted explanation completely silenced the class; but only for a moment, and then the whispers broke out.

"I thought…I thought you said, that you couldn't remember…" Professor Trelawney whispered, no longer disproving.

"I didn't until now," Scorpius replied slowly. "I had a dream. And I died. I took a killing curse right to the face and then I woke up."

"Class, read the next chapter of your books." Professor Trelawney trembled, as the class scurried to open their books. "Scorpius…come sit by me."

Scorpius picked up his bag and moved beside her, the other students sliding their seats far out of his way. Professor Trelawney offered him her own chair and laid down a quill and parchment for him.

"Write it down," she whispered. "Write, write it _all _down. Every detail you can remember."

Scorpius picked up the quill and hesitantly began to pen out the first memory of his dream. _I was riding on a black stallion…_

Even after the bell rang and the chairs were pushed back and the huddle by the trapdoor gradually had made its way down, Scorpius continued until he reached the end of his dream and laid his quill back down.

"I'm done," he announced, his hand still shaking. Professor Trelawney swooped down on him and started to examine his work. He left her completely engrossed in it as he headed down the ladder and to find his way to the fourth floor.

At the bottom of the North Tower stairs, Scorpius found the last steps blocked by two girls. "That's him!" Edith Edgecombe hissed in the other girl's ear.

"Excuse me," Scorpius said curtly, not interested in their gossip. Instead of moving, the other girl stuck her hand out.

"I'm Jocasta Thurkell," the girl whispered to him, hand still outstretched. Scorpius smiled back at her. Jocasta's brown hair was pulled halfback, she had a small, shy smile and a Slytherin crest on her uniform. He had even heard of her family, although Thurkell was no longer a well-known pureblood family. Not after Thaddeus Thurkell had turned his seven Squib sons into hedgehogs hundreds of years ago.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," said Scorpius, shaking her hand and feeling a bit pleased.

"I know," she answered, smiling a bit brighter. "Are you really a Seer? Professor Trelawney sounded quite jealous of you according to Edith." Edith flushed and giggled.

"I might be." Scorpius tried to backtrack. "I actually don't know. I think that was just coincidence, really."

Edith grabbed Jocasta's arm. "We have to get to our next class. Potions."

"Jigger wouldn't notice a pig wearing a hat, let alone if we don't show up," Jocasta said idly, still smiling at Scorpius.

"She'd notice us coming in to class late," Edith scolded, pulling Jocasta back down the hall. The two of them broke into laughs as they ran. Scorpius watched them run off and then with a start, continued heading towards the fourth floor. Despite his hurry, he was the last one to arrive, but luckily Professor Dubvessa allowed Aaron Boot to dive right into his presentation on some Muggle story about a magic ring, and ignored his tardiness.

"You almost missed Wandless Wizardry," Elora said harshly to him as they carried their books out of the class. "What happened? You have a free period before."

"I got distracted," Scorpius said, as he noticed the two Hufflepuffs staring at him from down the corridor.

"A Seer?"

"-prophesied Trelawney's death!"

"Malfoy—"

Scorpius craned his neck from side to side and even checked behind him, but he couldn't catch the whisperers. It seemed to be coming from everybody. Elora looked unnerved.

"Scorpius, don't listen to them, they are always saying things about everybody. Let's just go down to dinner." She caught his shoulder as he glanced behind them again.

Scorpius nodded and allowed her to lead him down the stairs, but the whispers and stares followed them three floors and Elora was growing visibly more flustered. They made it to the Entrance Hall just as the other third year class came up from Potions.

Scorpius froze for a moment, and then decided on the only thing he could sensibly do. He bolted, dropping his books and leaving Elora in the lurch, dashing away from the Great Hall and back up the stairs. _Madness…this is just madness! Except me, I'm not mad. I'm not- I'm not a Seer. _

"Scorpius!" Someone was calling after him. He put on a bit more speed, not sure which way he was going anymore as students flattened themselves against the walls at his approached. Someone yelled and his foot caught something. Scorpius slid, arms flailing as the back of his head cracked against the wall and someone grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Scorpius, it's us, stop struggling—" a girl was saying.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" A boy yelled, pointing the wand at Scorpius's face over her shoulder. Scorpius felt his body seize up and Rose let go of his shirt.

"Albus! You used the Body-Bind Curse on him, how could you!"

"Where did you even learn how to do that?" Elora asked between panting, her hand clutched to her side. Scorpius managed to look back and forth between them as Albus shook his head and grabbed Scorpius's elbow.

"Never mind, a Slytherin taught me, but that doesn't matter," said Albus. "Just help me drag him into that classroom over there and then I'll release him. I'll even let him hit me if that will make you feel better, just c'mon."

The three of them managed to drag Scorpius into the unused classroom. If Scorpius hadn't been frozen, he would have squirmed as the three of them pulled him in, his elbows firmly jabbing at the girls' sides. They settled him into a chair and came back around front to face him.

"_Rennervate_," Albus said and Scorpius collapsed in the chair, hands covering his face.

"Scorpius?" Albus drew closer, putting a hand on Scorpius's shoulder. Scorpius shot up and punched him hard in the jaw, Albus fell backwards and swore harsh enough to make Elora jump.

"Rule number one of Slytherin, mate," Scorpius said, feeling strangely gleeful. "Never give your opponent an opportunity."

Albus rubbed his jaw ruefully. "Obviously, I was so advanced that I must have skipped that lesson."

"And you skipped the first lesson of friendship, Scorpius!" Rose burst out, her worry gone. In its place was a furious, wrathful being that he might have cowered before if he couldn't stop sniggering.

"_First lesson of _**_friendship_**?"

"I mean it!" Rose said, now sounding close to tears. "All this time, we were so worried…people don't pass out for no reason or stab themselves. And all this time, you've been lying to us about what's going on!"

"I didn't—" Scorpius tried to explain about today, about Divination, but Elora interrupted first, looking faintly alarmed.

"What is he lying to us about? Is that why everyone is talking about him behind our backs again?"

"Scorpius saw the Grim," Rose said quietly, sounding terribly sad and close to tears. "He saw the Grim and Professor Trelawney thinks he's going to die!"

Scorpius could only gape at her as Albus winced and Elora blinked rapidly in shock. Rose opened her arms and was about to fling them around his neck when Scorpius found his voice again. "Uh no, I haven't seen the Grim or heard a banshee or an augrey's wail or anything. In fact, I think I'd like to live, thank you very much."

Rose dropped back, looking positively agog. "But—all the Hufflepuffs were talking about it. And Alain Bewley _told_ me."

"Alain Bewley told you wrong then," Scorpius said irritably. "As a matter of fact, I didn't even know what was going on until about two hours or so ago and I'm still not sure that it's really happening—"

Rose had thrown her arms around him after all, sighing in relief. But Elora was puzzling her way through Scorpius's statement. "Then what is going on?" she asked baldly.

"Apparently, the teachers think I'm a Seer. " Scorpius tried to say it off-handedly, but Rose stumbled back and stared at him. Albus and Elora did too.

"But that's impossible…" Elora said weakly. "Being a Seer is incredibly rare and you've never made a prophecy."

"I had a vision," Scorpius said loudly, hating himself for it. For telling the only doubts he had that proved that this was real. "First year. I saw you drinking the Dreamless Draught in the Girls' Bathroom in the toilet stall and then it flashed to you unconscious in the Gryffindor common room."

Elora's face fell and for a moment, it looked as if she might need to sit down instead of him until she strengthened her resolve and nodded.

"But, maybe that was just—" Rose began, but he beat her to it.

"Second year, I saw you running into Peeves on your way to the last Quidditch match, so I suggested, right then at breakfast, that you should head down early. But then you really ran into Peeves and he gave you the potion from there. And on the train, I think that was another, but I haven't remembered it yet. Maybe there have been more."

"So are you really a Seer?" Albus asked.

Scorpius shrugged. Rose squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them back up.

"We need to prove this," she decided. "If Scorpius is a Seer or not. I bet we can find out for sure."

"Not really," Scorpius explained. "It can't be controlled. The visions or dreams just come to me when I'm not expecting it and I don't even realize until it's over."

Rose waved a hand, already pacing as Albus helped Scorpius back up to his feet. "No, there has to be a way to trigger it. I'll do some research, see what I can come up with."

"You do that then," Scorpius said. "You can compare notes with the professors even. They decided already that I need to take Divination and my parents want to find a mentor for me."

.

After all the astonishing conclusions, Scorpius let the rest of the day pass in a blur, so much that it took him several minutes to notice that there was an owl beating on the roof window of the dormitory again. This time though, it wasn't Iris delivering the letter, but his own owl, Pluto.

"Thanks," he muttered, letting Pluto perch on top of the bed curtains as Scorpius sat down on the bed to read his letter.

_Dear Scorpius,_

_We are extremely sorry for not sending you a letter first. We thought the professors would talk to us again before confronting you. A friend of the family says he knows someone who may be of help. If we need to, we may take you out of school either for specific times to hold private appointments or for the rest of the semester to home school you. I wouldn't worry yet, as we still have to meet with this person and anything permanent won't be decided until you're home with us for Christmas. _

_Until you hear from us again, try to continue about as normally as you can. Go to your classes, go flying, study, eat and sleep, start going to your Divination classes (your mother took classes with Professor Trelawney, and said she was a bit strange, but generally right), and spend time with your friends._

_Until Christmas,_

_Father_

_

* * *

_

**First, acknowledgements..._"Grey eyed people are commonly known to be jealous"_ is from _Member of the Wedding_ by Carson McCullers. **

**Secondly, congratulations to Yellow 14, Brighton Belle, QueenofSleep and TwistedRaver for guessing correctly previously that Scorpius is a Seer. How? Well, that's what this story is all about! I'd also like to thank Ast (my ever-constant beta and friend), the-poet-of-a-thousand-pains (who spent three days reading my series!), mcv(who gave me the first ever review and really enjoyed my series), and Anonymous (who I thank for letting me know that my writing skills have greatly improved! And to your last review: just wait!). Also to the Next Gen Fanatics forum here on FF for giving me more people to talk to about the next generation (and inspiring two new stories!).**

**And third, please read and review! :)**

**Also, a quick note: lately, you may have noticed I started writing oneshots and drabbles about the next generation. While I HIGHLY reccommend reading and reviewing those stories too, I would like to mention that unless I state in the author's notes of that story, they should not be considered part of the _Order of Merlin_ series. (And yes, just because I write a certain pairing doesn't mean that it's going to happen in this series. I've planned those out ages ago, but I like to experiment!). **


	9. The Defense Association

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 9: The Defense Association

* * *

When Scorpius walked into Wandless Wizardry, he knew it would not be a normal day. For the first time, Professor Dubvessa was at her desk that was covered in stacks of books instead of sitting in the circle with everyone else and the circle had been moved into a horseshoe. Confused, he and Elora, whose hair was done in two braids over her ears, joined the class in their new seats and waited, uncertain if they should even take out quills.

"Well, we have had a very good month of presentations, now haven't we?" Professor Dubvessa said grandly. "It was very interesting, to see how Muggles have viewed magic, from the ancient Greeks, to more modern fantasy literature. How many of us expected to have witches defined as 'good' or 'bad' witches, or that Muggles once used our archaic term for dementors, ringwraiths?" She turned to the blackboard, which had the names of all the books they had studied written on it. Scorpius's _Oedipus Rex_ was the first, and there were names from the other third year class too presumably, as he saw _Macbeth_, Elora's _Peter Pan_, _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ and the Muggles' seven book biography of Harry Potter.

"But I left out one, very vital book to the Muggle perception of magic, possibly the most truthful one," Professor Dubvessa continued. "And that book, we will be studying all year, as it contains an entire history of both wizard and Muggle." She picked up a stack of books off her desk and started to pass them out, Aaron Boot passed Scorpius one. It was a plain white cover with a blue design of a cross-like object rising out of an altar and in gold font it read _The Once and Future Kingdom._

"You will read this on your own, I will tell you how far to read, and in class, we will figure out the truth from the fiction. I'm sure all of you are familiar with the names King Arthur, Morgana and Merlin or that you have at least used the term 'Merlin's beard' before. But why do Muggles know these names too?" she pressed. "Take out a quill…we'll be taking notes on the backstory behind this today."

Scorpius had to write quickly to keep up with her, sometimes even leaving the i's undotted. Despite the fast pace, he couldn't help but go back to re-read his own notes. _In the days of circa 500 B.C.E. wizards and Muggles lived with knowledge of one another, with much fighting and fear. At this time, Great Britain was divided by a wizard king known as Gorlath, who also the Muggle duke of Cornwall, and a Muggle king named Uther Pendragon, who had the unusual friendship of a wizard, a sorcerer named Merlin Ambrosious, who became famed as Merlin in the centuries to come. The wizard Merlin knew of a prophecy and devised to have it come true by slipping a love potion into the cup of Gorlath's wife, Igraine. Uther slew Gorlath and married Igraine and in time, she bore a daughter, named Morgan. Morgan was soon discovered to be a witch and it was uncertain of who her true father was. The Muggles dubbed her Morgan le Fay (Morgan of the faeries) and Uther and Igranine had another child, a son named Arthur. To keep the prophecy, Merlin had Uther name him the child's godparent and hid him away in a Muggle castle owned by a loyal lord. _

_._

"Wasn't that something?" Albus raved exuberantly. Dinner in the Great Hall was always noisy though and none of the Slytherins so much as glanced at his excitement as he talked to Scorpius. "I knew her class was going to be something great, it's good she decided to start with us, because none of the upperclassmen could get in."

"Binns just always glossed over that part of History, didn't he?" Scorpius said, taking a gulp of pumpkin juice. "He just always skipped to the Statue of Secrecy and the reasons for installing it."

"Don't mind him," Albus told him. "Binns just likes reliving his own history. Same reason Neville and Professor Thomas are always telling us the old DA stories."

"Speaking of the DA," Scorpius said, "Professor Thomas told me that the four of us are eligible to join the DA this year. First meeting's tonight, do you want to come?"

Albus nodded. "Neville told me about it too. We'll get the girls out of the library and bring them down to the Great Hall when it starts."

"What homework did they get that we didn't?" Scorpius asked as they abandoned the dinner tables and started heading out.

"It's not homework," Albus said as they dodged Peeves by doubling back a corridor. "It's, er…Rose is researching how to make you have a vision."

"Oh," Scorpius muttered abruptly. Albus looked embarrassed, but really, this was the first time in about a week that the mention of Scorpius being a Seer had come up.

In the library, they found Elora at a table, surrounded by library books, the stacks reaching over her head. She jumped, startled, and a book fell out of her hands, titled _Snakes, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, a guide to basic Alchemy_.

"I thought you were Rose," she said, grabbing the book and pushing her blonde braids back. "She wanted me to read the entire collection of Nostradamus's prophecies, but I really wanted to finish this chapter."

"Where is Rose?" Albus asked, counting the number of books they had collected. "She does realize that even though Pince is retired, she still can't take out this many books."

"She's making her way through the holiday book section." Elora led the way, leaving the towers of books at the table. Sure enough, they spotted Rose's red bushy hair poking out from over top of a book, a small stack of them next to her on the floor.

"Samhain…incantation, get a scrying—" Rose mumbled to herself as they drew nearer.

"Rose!" Elora sang out, looking ridiculously eager to escape the library. "The boys are here—it's time to go to the first Defense Association meeting!"

Rose looked up slowly, her blue eyes rising over the top of her book, eyeing the three of them for a moment before clapping the book shut, stowing it under her arm and striding up to the front desk to check out her book before joining them outside.

"All of those books, and you take only one?" Albus asked her once she rejoined their group. "What did you find in there that was so important?"

Rose snatched the library book out of Albus's grasp. "Nothing that concerns you yet," she sniped at him. "I need to take notes and plan this out…I'll tell you when it's time!"

"You mean I read all those prophecies for nothing?" Elora complained.

Scorpius said nothing at all on the subject, but grinned the whole way down. Finally, a class where he didn't have to focus on the fact he was now a Seer, no matter how many glances he got from Professor Longbottom and Professor Thomas. In fact, all he had to do was learn about something he was actually interested in! And if he did start going into a trance, the teachers would be on-hand to take care of it.

The Great Hall had been cleared, the tables pushed off to the side. The staff table remained how it was, but the chairs were put away too. Professor Thomas and Professor Longbottom stood above the crowd on top of the staff table, already giving orders as they joined the student body.

"We have a very large number of students this year, so I need everyone's eyes and ears on me!" Professor Longbottom shouted over the hubbub. Professor Thomas seemed unperturbed, raising her wand upwards towards the ceiling. The candles dimmed and the talking died out to the point where Scorpius in the back could hear Longbottom cough. "That's better…we'll be starting with a simple basic spell today, somewhat of a warm-up for our older members, but it happens to be what the Head of the Auror Department, my good friend Harry Potter, claims is the most useful spell you could ever learn."

Professor Thomas took over now, her soft girlish voice still just as easily heard. "Partner up, keep to the same age please, no third years against a seventh year…"

The mumble of the crowd broke out again as the students looked amongst themselves for a partner. Scorpius didn't have to search far, as he glanced at Albus and Albus nodded back. _This should be interesting_, he thought to himself. He and Albus had never shared a Defense class before, but they found a spot in the Great Hall and stood six feet apart.

"Watch us carefully," Professor Longbottom was shouting again. "Professor Thomas will attempt to duel me and I will cast the Disarming Charrm on her. You draw a close circle with your wand - are you two in the back paying any attention? - then abruptly point at your opponent and give the incantation: _Ex-pell-iar-mus_," he emphasized the word. "Now, the demonstration. Professor Thomas, if you please."

The two teachers retreated to the opposite ends of the table and turned on a seventh year's count. Professor Thomas extended her wand, intending to cast some jinx but Professor Longbottom, despite his heavy build, was far faster than Scorpius even anticipated.

"_Expelliarmus_!" he barked, and with a violent red light, Professor Thomas was thrown off the table, her wand rolling away.

Professor Longbottom hopped off the table to a smattering of applause; he and a furiously blushing fourth year boy helped Professor Thomas back on to her feet and fetched her wand before they both mounted the staff table again.

"I don't expect most of you to send your partner flying like that, or even to produce a red light," Professor Longbottom said modestly. "Especially for our younger members, I'd be pleased if you accomplished knocking the wand out of their hand. You may begin, Professor Thomas and I will circulate and help you."

Immediately, shouts of "_Expelliarmus_!" filled the room and in the corner by the older students, some red flashes could be seen. Scorpius saw Rose and Elora start practicing and Elora jumping aside as another student's spell came too close.

"You first," he said to Albus, who nodded and drew his wand into the circular motion. Scorpius held out his wand as if to jinx, but in reality, he held still. The whole point of the exercise was to disarm, not to give the other students boils.

"_Expelliarmus_," Albus said, with a flash of red light. Scorpius's wand gave off a jerk, but stayed in his hand compliantly.

"My turn," Scorpius said, his fingers closing around his unicorn hair wand. _Quick, close circle, point and say with intent_, he reminded himself, the last being his father's rule for wand-waving. He eyed Albus's wand tip intently and then, pointing his own wand at it, said, "_Expelliarmus_."

The effect was exact—there was no sudden shock of red light, but Albus stumbled backwards and his wand dropped, clattering to the ground.

"How did you do that?" Albus asked, swiftly picking up his wand off the ground. Scorpius shrugged, lowering his wand.

"It only needs the right intent," he told Albus. "It's all a matter of focusing…"

"Let me try again," Albus said fervently. "_Expelliarmus_." Scorpius's wand only twitched.

"Here, watch me," Scorpius offered, repeating the move. This time his wand end sparked red, much to his delight, as Albus stooped to grab his wand.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Albus tried again, his green eyes narrowing. His voice rose, growing high-pitched with puberty and louder, which was most unlike him. Elora was the one to get louder when her spells weren't working, but for as long as Scorpius had known him, Albus had always been deceptively quiet. "_**Expelliarmus**_,_ EXPELLIMELLIUS_!"

An alarming red flash of light glared from Albus's wand and for a moment, Scorpius was sure nothing had happened again. Then Rose shrieked and his knee felt hot.

Scorpius's robes had caught fire, flames licking at his leg and up his robes. He fell backwards desperately trying to get them out, but he didn't know any spells for extinguishing yet. _There were candles, fourteen of them, he counted, all alit, lighting up their three faces. "You got trick candles from Uncle George, Rose! The cake's going to—_

Somebody was helping him back up, patting his back. After a start, Scorpius realized that it was Professor Longbottom, who was talking to him. "Pity they don't teach charms for that any younger. If your robes ever catch fire again, use_ Aguamenti, _there you go. I daresay you won't have any trouble learning it already, the way you handle a disarming charm." Scorpius was back on his feet. A few feet away stood Albus, his wand still held out but his eyes were now wide. "Albus Severus," Professor Longbottom rumbled, striding over to him. A few more students turned to watch the action occurring. "If I ever catch you misusing magic like that again, I will not only take away your wand, but I will make sure your father knows. And possibly, I'll have you serve detention as a spell dummy, too," he threatened before hurrying off to correct a student who hit the wrong person.

"Are you alright?" Albus asked hesitantly.

"Fine," Scorpius said shortly.

"I didn't mean too—"

"Potter," a seventh year barked out, causing Albus to jump. She was tall and imposing, with a square jaw and full lips and nails colored dark red. "I watched that. Your fatal flaw came out, just like I warned you about. Keep your focus next time."

"What does Zytka Zabini know about a fatal flaw?" Scorpius hissed as soon as she resumed her own flawless practicing.

"She, er, secretly watched me practicing spellwork once," Albus muttered. "It takes a lot of practice and study to be top of the year, you know, and I was cracking down over the light charm, you know, _lumos_. She stopped me and showed me how to do it right, but she warned me that I was more dangerous and apt to do it wrong if I got too angry about it. She called it my fatal flaw, just like now, except she called it wrath."

The bells of the clock tower had just faded away when the teachers called an end to session, told them all what good work had been done and released them until next week. Rose and Elora rejoined them as they followed the push of the crowd out into the Entrance Hall.

"That was so good!" Rose enthused, "We should go every week, not only will it improve our DADA grades, but it's our family heritage too, all our cousins are in it too, Albus, I saw Lucy and James, Fred, Louis, Molly."

Scorpius cleared his throat, not willing to remind her that his family had no connections to Dumbledore's Army. "So, are we all going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Professor Jigger had asked for their permission forms in his last Potions class and the first Hogsmeade trip of the year was scheduled for this Saturday.

"Ooh, yes!" Elora agreed exuberantly. "We should all go together. I want to visit the Dogweed and Deathcap to pick up some plants for Potions and Alchemy. My dad told me about it, its a little greenhouse store."

"James told me about the pubs there and there's a branch of WWW, Honeydukes…" Albus rambled.

"The Shrieking Shack!" Rose shrieked happily.

"We can celebrate Albus's birthday," Scorpius pointed out. "It's Monday, isn't it? We can find a pub and have drinks."

Albus smiled gratefully at Scorpius, a thankfulness that he wasn't holding a grudge for the burnt fabric trailing behind him. Scorpius smiled back as Rose ran away with his suggestion.

"Oh, I'll get us a cake from the house-elves and bring it!" She told them as they made to go to their separate houses. "We'll all meet here on Saturday, then."

.

Friday seemed to pass ever so slowly, as Scorpius and the whole of the third year students impatiently waited for their arrival into Hogsmeade. Once Saturday was here, Scorpius shifted from foot to foot as the line inched forward and groups of students climbed into the thestral carriages. Rose was anxiously checking on Albus's cake again when they were greeted. "Watch yourself there, Rosie." Teddy Lupin warned her as he and Madam Weasley (_Victoire_, Scorpius thought immediately, and then hoped he wasn't flushing pink). Teddy was bearing dull burnt orange hair today, looking like a fall leaf, a neat contrast to his turquoise scarf and he was wearing for the first time in a month, his old jeans and an Order of the Phoenix shirt, while his fiancé, although wore artfully ripped, pale jeans, looked still like a model. "Come along you two, and Scorpius, you are my cousin, we're taking the family out to see our new place."

"What about Hogsmeade?" Albus asked, sounding puzzled, as Rose jabbed him.

"Ah, Ted, you and Vic bought a house? Where?" she gushed.

"We're showing you and everyone else right now, and then you'll be free to go about Hogsmeade as you please," Madam Weasley promised. "We'll even bring you along with us, Elora."

"Thanks Victoire, Teddy!" Elora chimed in, as they followed the two teachers to the last empty carriage in a row of Weasley-filled ones.

"So, what are your plans for Hogsmeade?" Teddy asked them as the carriage rumbled along. As usual, Rose took charge.

"Celebrating Albus's birthday in one of the pubs." She informed him. "And we'll pop into the Wheezes, of course, but I suspect we'll go and see the Shrieking Shack too."

Teddy and Madam Weasley exchanged glances. "You mean, you didn't hear?" Teddy asked in surprise, his hair turning bright pink and then fading back to dulled orange. "The Shrieking Shack was sold and is being repaired!"

"Repaired!" Rose exclaimed. "Who on earth would live in a ghost-infested, haunted old house like that?"

Now the two of them exchanged winks as the carriage slowed to a halt. "We did," Teddy bragged, throwing the door open and stepping outside. Scorpius ducked his head as he stepped out of the carriage, the other Weasleys still in school emerging from their carriages and gathering by the fence that held back any possible spirits. It wasn't nearly as spooky as he had heard older Ravenclaws claim, although one of the older Weasley girls was eying the house with distaste.

"This is the maddest thing I've ever heard!" a Weasley who looked very much like Madam Weasley announced.

"Glad you approve, Lou," she said cheerfully.

"It's Louis, Vic! Just because I'm your brother doesn't mean you can give me nicknames."

"And it gives you the right?" she argued back playfully.

"Well, that's one note of approval," Teddy counted. "Anyone else?"

"Can we go in and see?" Albus's older brother, James asked, slinging a leg over the fence. Teddy grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. "Anything else?" Teddy repeated.

"It's cool, Teddy." A short, black girl said, smiling. "When will it be ready?"

"We hired a wizard to do the major stuff, but on weekends, we'll be in here, doing Charms and Transfigurations, so we can move in by the big day, Roxy." Madam Weasley assured.

"What about the tunnel?" the brunette girl that Scorpius recognized as in his house.

"We're going to collapse it completely and seal over both ends. No sneaking into Hogsmeade via the Lupins, kids."

She shrugged. Something about her made Scorpius suspect that there were more Slytherins than just Albus in the Weasley family after all. "Just checking for loopholes."

"If that's all the questions, then clear out you lot, Vic and I have a lot of work to do." Teddy ordered as the Weasley family split up in different directions. Rose waved back as the four of them started walking towards the cozy, roof-thatched village of Hogsmeade, wind blowing their scarves back behind them the whole way.

* * *

**Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and kindly leave me a review or R&R my new next-gen drabble collection. :)**

**I have a serious question for my readers: do you like Elora's name? (Elora Alice Longbottom) When I chose it, I didn't want to have another Alice Longbottom the II (I don't see Neville as the sort to do that) but giving her a flower name I decided would be overkill with Rose and Lily. But at the same time, as much I liked the name, Neville and Hannah's backstory for choosing her name still has yet to be mentioned (_it's a portmeantu of "Flora" and "Ella", which they couldn't decide between and decided to comprise_) and worse, I have since found another "Elora Longbottom" (unfortunately, or perhaps luckily, she was not stolen from me, but it's a horrible concidence). Anyways, would you be opposed to a name change taking effect once I start Year 4? I'm leaning towards "Florence Alice Longbottom" quite personally, but suggestions are welcome. **

**-this is the advantage authors have over fanfiction writers. They have an editor first...or else we'd have Draco Spinks, Hermione Puckle and Neville Pupp!**


	10. A Samhain Séance

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 10: A Samhain Séance

* * *

Students flocked up and down the streets of Hogsmeade, the largest one being outside a cheery yellow and brown cottage that wafted the smell of chocolate towards them and the other being painted a much louder shade of orange than Teddy's hair. Rose pointed towards the second one.

"It's the Wheezes!" she declared. "We should pop in, maybe Uncle George is in."

They made their way in, squeezing past all the students and through the door. Albus got to the door first and strode in, before a shower of water fell and drenched him solid. Scorpius, Rose and Elora immediately dove through the doorway, before the bucket could magically set itself up and refill.

"Sorry, Al," a tall man with thinning red hair said as he came out from behind a shelf of stuffed basilisks. "Rosie!"

"Dad!" Rose cried out, letting her father hug her senseless. "You're in today?"

"We've left the assistant manager in charge of the Headquarters today," Mr. Weasley said. "Say, how's Hugo and Lily doing in Ravenclaw?"

"Hugo's always seems to be studying when I see him and Lily is always surrounded by friends, either the first years or Lorcan Scamander," Scorpius filled in for Rose. Although he hadn't talked to Lily Potter since his first day back and Hugo, well, ever, he saw them frequently in the Ravenclaw common room.

"Well, that's good to hear," Mr. Weasley said apprehensively. "And the Quidditch team?"

"What's all this?" Another Mr. Weasley greeted them. He was shorter than Rose's father, with brown eyes instead of blue, he lacked an ear and for a joke store owner, seemed rather melancholy.

"Hello Uncle George!" Albus called out, extending his arms, his sweater still dripping.

"Allow me," he said, waving his wand at Albus's personage, the spell drying him.

Elora reappeared then, carrying a package. "Excuse me, can I buy these?" she asked.

Another boy followed her, carrying a tawny owl on his shoulder. "Dad, an owl's here for you."

"Thanks, Fred," George Weasley said, taking the letter. "Follow me," he told Elora, as Mr. Weasley engaged Rose in conversation. Scorpius mouthed to Albus _"I'll meet you outside_,_"_ and made his way back out.

A few minutes later, the three of them made it back out too and they headed down the road again, Albus and Rose discussing something between them as Scorpius scoured the main road for pubs.

"He didn't make any jokes."

"I think that may have been the first time he didn't make fun of me."

"He didn't look happy either, do you think something's wrong?"

"I haven't heard anything, but I can ask."

"There's a pub," Elora interrupted, pointing to the other side of the road. "The Three Broomsticks, let's head in and celebrate."

The Three Broomsticks was buzzing with people, but they managed to get a small table with high chairs and their drinks brought to them by Madam Beery ("Call me Madam Rosmerta, duckies, I'm not as old as you think!"), who passed out butterbeers with a wink and a Galleon tip from Albus.

Scorpius took a sip and felt the familiarly buttery, sweet taste drip down his throat, like a butterscotch candy. Elora and Albus looked equally mellowed out by their sips, but Rose fidgeted with her drink, not tasting it.

"Before we start on Albus's party, I think I should tell you something," she said uncomfortably.

"Spit it out then, Rose," said Elora, scrunching up her nose as she took another sip.

"I came up with an idea to make Scorpius have a vision."

Elora gasped and then turned red as she started coughing and hacking away, taking a few moments before she choked the drink down. "I'm alright," she gasped. "Go on, Rose, what did you just say?"

"I have an idea," repeated Rose. "But it will have to be done on Halloween, at midnight."

A mocking silence settled on their table, and Scorpius took a large gulp of his drink, but the butterbeer only felt slimy now.

"It's still almost my birthday," said Albus, breaking the silence. "Let's have cake, Rose."

Biting her lip, Rose pulled out a cake from her box and laid it on the table. Once again, it had green frosting. Elora then produced candles and she stuck them into the cake and pulled out her wand to light them. The candles sparked merrily, the flames and candles changing color as they sparkled. "I got the candles at the Wheezes," she said, sounding pleased with the result as the flame slid down the base of the candle suddenly rapidly.

Albus and Rose's eyes widened and they dropped, crawling under the table and they tugged on his and Elora's robes to join them. Scorpius ducked his head under to stare at them and opened his mouth to ask why when a large explosion went off above him and he hit his head on the table.

"Firelit Firework Candles," the cousins echoed in unison, Albus continuing with a grumbled, "That's the second cake I've lost out on!"

When Scorpius awoke on the morning of October 31st, all he could think of was the ever looming midnight. When he left the Ravenclaw Tower, he did so apprehensively, hoping as he did every morning for the past week that Rose might have forgotten her idea to test him, but today was not his luckiest of days.

"Scorpius!" Rose called out, jogging to meet up with him as he tried to slip out of the Great Hall for Herbology. Reluctantly, he paused and waited for Rose Weasley to reach him, her face pinker than the flower she was named for.

"So, I think I've figured it all out for tonight," she said triumphantly.

"Tonight?" Scorpius tried to feign dumbness.

Rose wasn't fooled as she crossed her arms. "Yes _**tonight**_, tonight at midnight when we are going to see if you really have something here," she said petulantly. "I've thought of a place where we can do it, Al and I researched it and I collected everything we need, including James's map!"

Scorpius began to try to edge away as he noticed Slytherins passing them; he was going to be late if Rose kept him here any longer.

Then Albus appeared, blowing his unruly hair off his face. "Al!" Rose added, sounding thrilled again instead of put-out. "I was just telling Scorpius about our plans for tonight."

Albus nodded, glanced at Scorpius and seemed to register his expression before hastily stepping in. "Rose, Scorpius needs to get to Herbology with me," he said patiently, but with a cajoling tone that sounded familiar to even Scorpius. Thankfully, Rose nodded and called after them to meet her after dinner as she hurried off to Charms.

The both of them trudged through dead leaves before Albus spoke, still patient and cajoling. "You know you don't have to go through with this," he stated, looking off to the side towards the Forbidden Forest. He didn't see Scorpius shrug.

"I'm going to have to eventually," Scorpius said wearily, digging his hands into his sleeves. "Do you think that the professors are going to ignore my predictions for much longer? They're worried."

Albus chose not to answer that, but spoke quickly. "Still, Scorp, you don't have to prove anything to us."

He deliberated that for a moment, and then shook his head. "I'm not proving this to anyone but myself, Al." Scorpius decided finally. "I've been hearing people and the teachers talk about me for a month now. I need to know if it's real before I will let them find out for me."

After Professor Longbottom had the class started in on Flutterby Bushes that need pruning, the class was suitably noisy enough for Slytherins and Ravenclaws to not overhear them as Scorpius leaned towards Albus and dared to ask:

"What should I expect?" He questioned as he carefully applied the shears.

Albus was direct, his emerald eyes blinking rapidly as he watched the plant shiver. "Traditional Celtic ceremony. We'll use Halloween-like props, some phrases and we then wait for you to do _it_. I found the ceremony and Rose got the stuff and place."

"Just us three or four?" Scorpius murmured, remembering Elora's paled face.

"Four, Rose might have bullied her into it," Albus hissed back as he was swatted by the bush. "Ask Lorcan to be your alibi," he added offhandedly as Scorpius blinked.

"_Lorcan_?"

As it turned out, asking Lorcan to cover for him if anyone asked was rather easy. As soon as Scorpius hinted at "Trying a divination at auspicious times," Lorcan had nodded.

"Halloween is an excellent time for divining," Lorcan said cryptically. "Wait!" He decided before darting up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Scorpius stood there at the foot of the stairs before Lorcan dashed back down, holding a scroll of parchment.

"It's a prayer in doggerel rhyme," He said. "An incantation, to alert kindred souls to your presence. I wrote it for you, here." He slipped it into Scorpius's palm.

The Halloween feast was always worth waiting all day for as the scent of scrumptious treats wafted through the halls. The house-elves outdid their thrice-daily meals with scarlet pumpkin juice and pumpkin pound cakes; the Great Hall was littered with jack o' lanterns and bats, candles floating in the air and many students had dressed in costume for the day. Rose gamely donned her Harpy Quidditch robes with the name WEASLEY on the back, although Scorpius guessed that had she bought Harpy Chaser Ginny Weasley collector's edition Quidditch robes rather than have a personalized set.

But Scorpius found it difficult to enjoy even the food when he knew Lorcan's spell was in his pocket and that midnight was less than five hours away now. Even more difficult to evade was Rose, who caught up with him in the Entrance Hall again, his quick get-away blocked by the students mobbing the hall, everyone around him was talking excitedly about tonight when the Halloween Ball went from eight till midnight for students fourth year and up. Rose was pulling Elora along by her sleeve and Albus followed close behind, haunting their footsteps. "Meet us here at eleven, Scorpius," Rose called after him suspiciously. "We'll be ready and waiting."

.

A quarter to eleven, Scorpius was downstairs in the entrance hall, waiting edgily. He had slunk back into the shadows behind the Ravenclaw's hourglass, the sapphires glinting eerily as they cast blue light on the floor. He could hear a song by the _Wicked Witches_ playing loudly in the Great Hall from the Halloween Ball behind the two-story high doors. He tried to imagine being there, dancing with a girl, instead of waiting to do an anarchic ceremony in secret. He could imagine himself perfectly, as he was dressed in his good dress robes. Rose insisted that they all show up as if going to the Halloween Ball, in case they get caught.

A murmur of conversation caught his ear and he turned to see the three of them come into the Entrance Hall. Like him, Albus was in his good black dress robes, but the girls wore dresses, Elora in a blue plaid sundress that she would be shivering in if she wasn't wearing her winter cape on over it, but she looked positively...smartened up, as if maybe a roommate helped her get ready. Rose likewise, wore a dress under her cape, her long legs sticking out underneath the cape and green dress.

"It's time," he said casually as they hurried over to him, speaking loudly to be heard over the music. Where are we headed, Rose?"

Her face tightened and for once, she looked nervous and even a bit timid. "Well, I thought about using the astronomy tower but Professor Sinistra has it locked up tonight to prevent anyone going up there to snog after the dance…"

"Where are we going, Rose?" Albus cut in. She coughed and smiled weakly.

"The Forbidden Forest." Rose said in a strangled voice.

Elora turned pale on the spot, oddly gaunt without ruddy cheeks, but she had enough left in her to splutter. "The, the—_**Forbidden Forest**_!"

"I know!" Rose said quickly. "But they cleared out the acromantulas years ago anyhow, the centaurs won't bother with kids like us as long as we stay away from them and besides, I've been in there with James enough to know some of the trails and one leads to a little clearing really close by that I thought would be perfect." She babbled desperately. The three of them were quiet as she pushed the door open, courtesy of Peeves. "Look," she added, pointing upward. The sky was dark, a faint sprinkling of stars and a sliver of the moon. "We don't even have to worry about werewolves because there isn't a full moon. We should be all right."

Without even looking at the other two, Scorpius glanced at the stars once more and began to head out. The three of them followed him to the edge of the forest, when Rose took the lead once more. It was even darker now, with a canopy of trees to obscure the moon. Branches caught on the cloak, but they shook themselves loose as they trampled on dying leaves underfoot; the wind wuthering around them.

"We're here," she announced as they found their way into a small opening what felt like half an hour later. The woods had cleared up enough here so moonlight dappled the earth silver and Scorpius could make out the sign of Scorpio, his namesake, from the sky as a shiver ran up his spine. "Al, you've got the instructions?" Rose asked. Albus nodded and cleared his throat.

"We need to make a circle," He read off a piece of parchment. "With salt to keep any evil spirits out." When Elora doggedly shook the salt over the ground around them, Albus continued. "Rose, light the candle and place it on the reflective surface—what are we using as our scrying surface?"

"A bowl of water," Rose said after she managed to strike a flame alight. "I didn't think we could get a mirror out here in one piece with our luck. I put it on that stump."

"Lorcan gave me a spell," Scorpius remembered, touching his pocket. "He wrote it out and said it would help."

"Well good, we can use that then," Rose said, sounding somewhat relieved. "The one the book had been all in anarchic Gaelic of sorts and it would have taken a while to muddle through. How are we coming along?"

When Albus's instructions were complete, Scorpius had to admit the effect was solemn. They were all seated cross-legged inside the circle of salt; the bowl of water between them and the candle floating above their heads with Rose's charm.

"So what now?" Elora asked, fidgeting slightly. "Do we just wait?"

"Scorpius has to recite a charm to call upon the guidance from the spooks of tonight." Albus answered promptly as their eyes fell on him.

Feeling the scrap in his pocket still, Scorpius pulled it out and read it by the candle and moon to himself. "So I just read it out loud and then what?" He questioned, looking to Rose.

Slightly flustered and perhaps a bit unnerved, she said, "Just read it, and then we wait to see if you do anything."

"Fair enough," Scorpius said, studying the words once more.

"_**Kindred souls, come to us with peace. We fear harm through deathly deeds. We seek to ensure such fear will cease. Send us knowledge of what trouble will lead."**_

"Kindred souls—_damn it_!" Albus broke off then, gritting his teeth. "Rose, this spell of Lorcan's is no good."

"What do you mean?" Elora asked, letting go of their hands.

Albus grabbed the scrap of paper from Scorpius, squinting by candlelight. "This is to ask guidance from the dead in the form of visions through a scrying pool. It wouldn't reveal Seer ability—"

Then, Scorpius jerked forward, staring down at the bowl of water.

_Something_ was rippling in it. Something dark, that fluttered, beating against the water. It emerged slowly, the water rising and rippling out at him, until with an explosion of beating wings on water, the basin's liquid settled back into a calmness and the bird alighted on a nearby branch, it's black wings ruffled.

The bird let out a caw and then the raven swooped away. Scorpius stood and started running after the bird, he had to follow it, the voices calling out fearfully: "Scorpius! _**Scorpius! **_**SCORPIUS!**"

The bird landed again, on a twisted and gnarled branch and Scorpius came to halt, gasping trying to catch his breath when the bird took flight again and was swallowed by the darkness.

Suddenly aware of the darkness, Scorpius glanced around and behind him. The moon didn't reach this part of the forest, so much that the shadows looked as ominous and solid as did the actual branches, hiding his way out from him. But he could hear the faint cries—they must not be far away, but he could tell they sounded frightened for him. So was he; this whole scene seemed too eerie, too horribly, terribly familiar for him to fathom.

Scorpius took a step back and then an unearthly, shrieking wail broke the night. It was endless, mournful and it's echo could have last an eternity.

Scorpius had dropped to his knees, hands held over his ears until the eternity passed. Only when he managed to hear a ruffling sound, did he open his eyes and see it vanishing through the forest, something green and ink-like almost, as it tried to hide from him.

Throat dry, but with the forest silenced, even his friends' voices had faded, Scorpius got to his knees and looked around again for a way back. This time, he picked out the sight of a disturbance before he heard the subtle crack and crunch of sticks and grass. Something, much taller than himself, was coming through the trees towards him, something with pale eyes and hair. He, she, it, wore no cloak to cover their features. Scorpius thought vaguely of Rose in the Entrance Hall: "_But they cleared out the acromantulas years ago anyhow_," she said.

Then, he stepped out behind a tree and kept walking up to Scorpius, his eyes (blue, a paler blue) steady, his hooves fairly quiet. And he remembered what else she said. "_The centaurs won't bother with kids like us as long as we stay away from them_."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, looking down at his shoes. They were covered in dirt. "I got lost."

"You are like our foals," the centaur noted. This being the first time Scorpius had ever heard a centaur speak, he thought the centaur was a pleasant, tenor voice. "Who are the first to run out and the first to run back." His words sounded slightly insulting, but the tone was amused. This centaur wasn't very young himself as his palomino coat had turned silvery and his face wrinkled; he had even grown a beard.

"Could you possibly, be willing to point out the way so I can run back then?" Scorpius asked. The centaur grunted and stared at the center of his forehead.

"You are not the first boy who I have helped return to the castle. He was younger than you, and darker. I foretold to him what I knew of the future because the fates declared he _was _our future. But for you…" The centaur shook his head. "You know what the future will bring already."

* * *

**I'm back! Somewhat. This semester is much harder than I anticipated and I simply don't have time for writing like I wish. Luckily, I'm already almost to the finish (even though I'm not quite halfway done uploading chapters), so perhaps I can keep my updates a bit more constant. Although this chapter I had written out before Chapter 4 was even done (with a few minor edits to keep compliant with what has changed since).  
**

**I know you don't care about that though-Elora Longbottom received a LOT of support for her name (although I toyed around with "Florence" and "Abigail"), I decided her name is staying all thanks to her loyal fans (which is good because Year 4 is all about Elora!). So, to thank you, I'll even release the next title (although the release date is in the very far-off future right now). Year 4 is (tentatively) titled _The Secret of the Study_. Mysterious...**

**Also, fantastic, HP-related news: my Quidditch team (which I play Beater and sometimes Chaser for) is registered to compete in the 2011 World Cup in New York City next November! Who's excited? I AM!**

**R&R!  
**


	11. Quoth the Raven

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 11: Quoth the Raven

* * *

Although the night was already cold enough so he had buried his hands in the inner lining of his cloak, Scorpius felt that his insides froze on the impact of those words. "You know that?"

"I know many more things, too," the centaur answered. "I know that you are the three lights themselves."

"The three lights?" Scorpius asked. He could not imagine a darker place in the world right now.

"The Star, the Sun and the Moon," the centaur said, stroking his pale beard. "It's in your past, present and future, in blood and name and dream."

"What is your name?" Scorpius asked, seizing on a piece of sanity. Perhaps he was dreaming. All of this was a dream. Rose never suggested going to the Forest because he fell asleep waiting.

"I am Firenze," he replied, bending one knee. "I once taught at Hogwarts, during the years Mars's power was at his greatest in recent years. I remember one of the rules they had for students was that they should not be in our Forest alone at night."

"I wasn't alone, my friends were trying to scry, and I saw a bird flying away and then, I heard _it_." Scorpius gulped, fear flooding through him. "I heard a banshee wail."

Firenze was silent for a moment. "So you ran, in fear of the future."

"I ran because I was going after the bird," Scorpius scowled. "And then I stopped here when I heard the banshee."

"You are not lost," Firenze said, his head nodding. Scorpius nodded too, but it seemed more important than that. There was a double-meaning here, when talking to a centaur. "You lost sight of the way, but you are not lost. Do you know where you are?"

"In…in the Forest somewhere."

"You know where you are," Firenze interrupted. "You don't know where it is you are _going_."

There was barking in the distance. And then shouting. A light finally made it past the trees and a few figures were in shadow behind it, calling out his name. "_Scorpius_! Scorp! _**Scorpius**_, Scorpius!"

"If you ever need a light," Firenze said quietly as the figures made their way to him ("_SCORPIUS_!"). "The centaurs look to the stars."

Elora made it through first and she threw her arms around him, looking wane and relieved. A twig stuck out of her hair and poked his face.

"You're okay!" She cried out as Albus made it through and grabbed Scorpius's hand. Then Rose, holding on to a dog's leash. The dog was a huge black boarhound that leapt at Scorpius, sniffing and licking at his boots and the owner broke an elm to get into the clearing to him.

"What th' hell were yeh ruddy kids thinkin'?" Hagrid growled. "Midnight, on Hallowee' an' yeh lot go in there?"

"We are really sorry, Hagrid, but we didn't mean to go in that far or get lost," Rose said.

"I'm sorry too," Hagrid admitted, taking back Mopsy's leash and hefting the lantern over their heads. "I dunno it was yeh four…I saw kids sneakin' in and I told on yeh to Neville. I was on my way to find yeh when you three came back for help." Hagrid looked suitably ashamed, for all the gruffness in his voice. Elora made a small moaning noise. Scorpius winced at the sound of it; Albus awkwardly patted her back.

"Thanks for coming to find me, Hagrid," Scorpius said as he followed Hagrid back out.

Hagrid sighed and slapped his back. It felt more like a punch. "Don't mention it lad."

At the edge of the forest, wearing his knee-high leather boots for picking weeds out of bogs and still in his dress robes from the ball, was Professor Longbottom.

"Well," he said crossly. "I expected better from you three, considering how—Elora!" He spluttered, his face turning red for a moment as Elora hopped out of the forest between two trees. She stumbled to a stop, avoiding his eyes. "No, I don't even want to know the hows or the whys of this excursion," Professor Longbottom decided disprovingly. "Detention for Saturday. All day, starting at ten. What do you have there, Rose?"

Rose jumped and the book fell out of her hands. Professor Longbottom picked it up and studied it, checking the back flap before handing it back to her.

"You can serve it in the library, so you can return that book that I'm sure was the probable cause of all this mischief." He sighed. "And ten points from your houses for being out of bed after-hours."

.

"Well, I suppose you can put books away for me," Professor Dubvessa suggested serenely when faced with the four third years in detention. "Claudia can help you if you don't know where it is. There are an awful lot of books, a whole stack of them I found last weekend in the Ancient Ceremonies section" - (Rose blushed furiously) - "and once you're done, you may study until dinner. Oh, and detention policy states that I have to take your wands away."

Chastened, Scorpius added his to her pile, already regretting the loss of his wand. He had owned his since he was nine. His father had taken him straight out to Ollivander's once he started consciously doing magic. And then he grimaced as he looked at the large stack of books needing to be returned to their places.

Scorpius and Albus rolled up their shirt sleeves and each managed to heft a large stack of books; Scorpius turned his head sideways to help support the books with his cheek. The girls took books from them and found their proper places. Elora resorted to using a ladder to reach the higher shelves and once the pile of books shrunk to fitting under his chin, Albus would roll her along on top of the ladder.

Rose was just returning the book she had borrowed for their Halloween experiment as Scorpius stared longingly out the window. It was a rare and gorgeous November day; if he wasn't in detention, Scorpius was sure that he'd be outside…maybe flying.

"Scorpius Malfoy?" He heard and then the quick running of feet before he felt his shoulder being tapped. Scorpius managed to awkwardly turn without dropping the books or moving his head to see the little Dubvessa girl looking up at him, a braces-covered beam on her face. "I thought it was you! Are you taking out all those books?"

"I'm in detention, err…" He trailed off. Her name started with a C…Caroline?

"I'm Claudia," she reminded him helpfully. "Have you read any books lately? I re-read my collection of Edgar Allen Poe's poems last night, but I think I'll read something else today, like _The Threepenny Opera_."

"Claudia," Scorpius said, suddenly as he remembered. "Can you find me a book?"

"A book," she repeated, sounding pensive. "Fiction? Non-fiction? Epic? Romance? Historical, fantasy—"

"I need a, err, dream-divining book. Something that can explain what different things might mean," Scorpius specified. She nodded and ran off, darting between bookshelves and didn't re-appear for a few minutes, precisely as Rose came to collect more books.

"Found it!" She declared triumphantly, reaching up high to deposit the book on top of the others. Rose glanced at her and then took the book, reading the cover silently to herself.

"I thought maybe…it might explain that vision a little," Scorpius mumbled, embarrassed. Claudia simply stood there, still beaming and dressed in her black dress and stockings and boots, as Rose put the book back on top for him and nodded.

"Here, give them to me," she insisted, cupping her hands. "I'll hold them too, Elora can keep putting them back. You read it."

"But we're not done, and we're in detention," Scorpius protested. Claudia hopped up.

"I can help! I know where all the books go."

Rose smiled at the small girl and looked back at him. "See? She wants to help. She can help Elora and Elora will help me and I'll help you and you already helped us." Surrendering, Scorpius tilted the books in Rose's arms and removed the top book, heading towards a table to start examining it as Rose and Claudia hurried back to join Albus and Elora, chattering.

Scorpius studied the book: It was written by Inigo Imago and it was about dream interpretation…he let the book fall open and started to rifle through it. Under _B_, he found the subject _Birds_.

_Are symbolic because of their abilities of flight. Represents higher thought, inspiration, transcending limitations. Different types of birds can further emphasize the qualities within you. An eagle suggests seeing what is hidden to others while more colorful birds like a peacock or parrot stands for self-expression, fearlessness in demonstrating your new-found abilities. On the downside, seeing a black bird, such as a crow or a raven, can mean a difficult transformation, trickery, sacrifice and like owls, can also mean death. _

Scorpius dropped the book, but didn't bend down to fetch it right away. _Death. Seeing a raven can mean death._ Slowly, Scorpius picked the book back up and re-read the sentence. The banshee scream. The raven. He didn't even have to look up any other aspect of his vision. Someone was going to _die_.

.

"Mr. Malfoy? Where is your mind wandering off too?" Professor Jigger asked. Scorpius started and shook his head awake before realizing that he should be nodding his answer.

"How's your potion brewing then?"

"It's well…" Scorpius trailed off, glancing at the cauldron in question. It wasn't even remotely close to the correct color.

Elora glanced over too and winced before dipping her ladle in, out and letting the potion slide back into the cauldron. Her's was the exact shade of cherry red his ought to be. But Scorpius let his eyes flicker back to Professor Jigger and tried to focus.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I thought that I _saw_ something." He tried to say it as casually as possible. Beside him, Elora frowned but Jigger's mouth opened in a surprised "Oh" and nodded so quickly that it was practically a blur.

"I understand completely," She spluttered. "Naturally, you are feeling the effects, and are un-used to adjusting as of yet…why don't you go ahead and see Professor Trelawney. This potion can be made up at another time with Miss Selwyn."

"Brilliant, thank you," Scorpius said, grabbing his cauldron to wash it out by the gargoyle sink.

There was only a few minutes left of class, so Scorpius walked a few hallways before collapsing against the wall, sliding to the floor. That had been a complete lie; but why couldn't Seeing ever tell him when a teacher was going to call on him, or what the answer to a question was, or something useful? Granted, knowing that Griffin Thane's charm was going to cause his quill to explode yesterday was helpful and Scorpius had emerged the only ink-free student of the class, but he'd much prefer not having to depend on using his Seeing skills to get out of trouble when he could just avoid it all in the first place.

Hearing the sounds of the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors emerging from Potions was the only thing that got him moving again, heading down to the Great Hall before the rest of them got there and finding a seat at the Ravenclaw table.

Scorpius managed to blearily eat half of his shepherd's pie before he set his fork down. Rubbing his eyes, he allowed himself to stare aimlessly into space.

This newfound Seeing ability wasn't the reason for his lapses during class; it was the nights spent tossing and turning or simply sitting up in the Common Room, keeping as many lights on as possible and listening to the loudest, most obnoxious song in the world: _Do the Hippogriff_.

Scorpius would rather listen to the Weird Sisters at their worst then have visions of death or worst of all, see who would die and watch them die over and over again.

Beside him, a fourth year slapped down her copy of _The Daily Prophet _in disgust. "Rubbish!" she complained. "Kenmare Kestrals lost again! They've been losing every game ever since McCormack retired."

Scorpius glanced at the article in remote interest, just to see how the Tornados' competition was for the season when he saw another, small article on the back page.

"Can I see this?" He asked, reading the headline. _Selwyn, convicted Death Eater dies. _The fourth year didn't even look at him, she just nodded.

_Mortimer Cain Selwyn, aged forty-eight, died October 26__th __of an old spell injury. He was sorted into Slytherin during his Hogwarts days and was convicted as a Death Eater under coercion of the Second Wizarding War (1995-1998); He was arrested after the Battle of Hogwarts and sentenced to six years in Azkaban. He is survived by his second wife, Pansy Selwyn nee' Parkinson, who is the editor of the __**Daily Prophet**__ Society Sides and by his two daughters, Zaneeta and Amaryllis. _

Scorpius didn't bother to read anymore of the obituary, disturbed by what he had read. To see somebody's life laid out so brutally like that, because he bore the Dark Mark, even if it was 'under coercion'. He noted sourly that the article in question hadn't mentioned his long career working for Gringotts or that he regularly donated to St. Mungos'…Poor Zaneeta, then. So that's why Jigger said they could make it up together; she must have been pulled out of classes for the funeral.

Scorpius had a very sudden mental impression of the first and only funeral he had ever gone too: his grandfather's, when he was seven years old. He didn't remember Lucius Malfoy much, as his grandfather had only been released from Azkaban when he was five, but he remembered even aged and worn, the resemblance between him and his father was quite a good likeness.

Scorpius stood then, swinging his leg over the bench and walking away from the Ravenclaw table. _What if that happens? What if it really does happen, and we both—_

"It's not going to happen," Scorpius told himself firmly aloud. "She's dead and we're both fine…"

_Seeing a raven can mean death._

"Scorpius!" Elora hollered after him dodging between students to catch up. "Wait, what happened? Did you really—"

_"Alohomora," he heard a girl's voice issue the spell from behind the door. His eyes opened wide and looked straight at Bellatrix Lestrange as the door opened._ _There was a scream, wide hazel eyes—_

"I lied," Scorpius said quickly as her face scrunched in dislike.

"You could have remembered the ingredient that would have turned your potion cherry-red and used a sample of mine while it simmered."

"Elora, I wasn't completely lying," Scorpius admitted, cutting off her tirade. "I was seeing something…I saw the vision from Halloween again."

Her eyebrows pulled away now, as her face turned surprised. "I thought all you saw was a bird."

"A raven. I looked it up, and it means somebody I know is going to die, Elora," Scorpius said, his voice breaking with desperation. "And seconds later, something started screaming, and I think it might have been a banshee."

She bit her lip as they stopped in the middle of the hallway, Ancient Runes forgotten entirely.

"Who?" She asked, immediately.

"I don't know. I don't _**want**_ to know." Scorpius managed to get past the lie lumping in his throat. "I'm scared that any moment now, I might have a vision of that person dying, or that if I fall asleep, I'll see their face." _Or our murderer's face again._

Elora nodded. "Like me and that mirror from first year. It's all I ever thought about or wanted, but I was terrified too, because if I saw the mirror, I saw _him_. Voldemort's ghost."

"And that's when you started drinking Dreamless Draughts, to stop thinking about it and sleep—" Scorpius cut himself off with a gasp. "_Dreamless Draught_! Elora, you _**perfected**_ making it, if you made me—"

"_I almost DIED!_" she snarled, causing Scorpius to jump backwards. In half a second, she had changed, from a frank and short girl, to an enraged, almost bestial one. Her hazel eyes flashed furiously, so different from the wide, terrified look she had in his vision during Herbology all those weeks ago. She stomped two steps closer to him, pushing him up against the wall. "I will not make anything of the sort like that again! And I won't let you make it either," she added almost as an afterthought.

"Elora, I'm sorry," Scorpius gasped, looking down at her. She huffed and stormed off down the hallway, leaving Scorpius to pick up his books, her bag and what was left of his dignity and follow after her.

"Who are you worried it will be?" Albus asked as they carried their homework on Transfiguration. Teddy—_Professor Lupin_, was just as cool as a teacher as he was a cousin, wearing beat-up muggle trainers under his formal teachers' wear, and changing the original lesson in their book from owls into opera glasses to owls into sunglasses. By lunch, the entire Slytherin/Ravenclaw third years had shown up in an array of sunglasses, from wide-rimmed to tinted.

Scorpius glanced at Albus in confusion. "Sorry?"

"Elora told me," he specified. "She was in such a snit during Charms that she turned the desk orange."

"I didn't mean to," Scorpius said.

"Mean to not tell us the whole vision?"

"The banshee scream was real. I didn't See that."

Albus turned to him, looking horrified. "You heard a _banshee_?"

Scorpius kept on walking down the hall and after a moment, Albus rejoined him.

"Scorpius…I know you're worried about your family."

"Really?"

"And your friends, too?"

"I haven't even _considered_ the possibility of that, now thank you, Potter," Scorpius snapped, seething.

"Have you thought that maybe, the banshee's mourning for you then?"

Scorpius stopped cold, the books tumbling out of his arms. Albus caught him by the elbow.

"How would I die?" He asked softly, trying to shake off the fear like a cloak. But it was not so easily removable.

Albus shrugged, shaking his head. "I don't know…you don't know! Scorpius, how do we even know that you really heard a banshee? Maybe it was just as owl—"

"_Both _owls and ravens seen in visions mean death." Scorpius interrupted.

"Whose death?" Albus asked, his usual chipper mood long since faded.

Scorpius hesitated, then shook his head. "I haven't Seen anyone die yet. Just, let Elora be miserable if she wants." _Because I won't be able to forgive myself if I only get us both killed._

* * *

**Happy new chapter! Tomorrow's my birthday, do you think you could all review?**

**This chapter has been very long in coming to a computer screen near you. Unfortunately, due to severe computer problems I've been plagued with lately, my partial-hiatus continues. **


	12. Palmistry, Pimples and Psychic Peacocks

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 12: Palmistry, Pimples and Psychic Peacocks

* * *

As it turned out, hanging around Rose had apparently rubbed off Elora; she had grown a backbone. Unlike Rose however, while their Hufflepuff friend would have just jeered and tried to get a reaction out of him, Elora took to giving him the cold shoulder in all their classes, even when working on the same potion together.

Working on potions with Zaneeta Selwyn wasn't exactly a treat either though. Thursday morning at breakfast, Zaneeta and her little sister had reappeared at breakfast, their eyes pale and cold as Pluto arrived with a reply back from his parents.

_Dear Scorpius,_

_Yes, it was Zaneeta and Amaryllis's father who died. Your father and I attended the funeral; a very small affair. His wife is an old friend of your father's, you know. Pansy didn't speak too much of her husband (but between you and I, there wasn't much love there. The whole story goes way back and not one I'm likely to tell you about in full detail). But she did mention plans for a New Year's party and that she was signing the adoption papers to take guardianship for her stepdaughter (the elder one). _

_Scorpius, I've worked quite a bit with people affected with grief and while forgetting their loved ones is not an option, remembering there are other things in life to love can be good. Do offer to go flying with her or something rather than offer condolences. _

_Your mother,_

_Asteria Malfoy_

As it was, Scorpius didn't get a chance to do anything with her until Saturday, and instead of flying, they were stirring cauldrons.

"Pass the salamander's blood." She said, running her fingers ineffectively through her hair, trying to hold it back. Scorpius passed her the little vial.

"Zaneeta, I—"

She peered at him, with those ice blue eyes. "You what, Scorpius?"

_I wish my mother had told me exactly what I should say_, he thought humorlessly. _Not only is Mum brilliant at memory charms and at understanding the brain, but she's female, so she'd know what to say to them._

"I didn't know if you might want to go flying sometime." He rushed out.

"Your porcupine quills fell." She replied, pointing to them. Confused, with the slight feeling that she had just rejected his offer, Scorpius bent to collect them.

"And sorry," she added a minute later. "But I'm already going with Max next Hogsmeade trip."

Scorpius now dropped the porcupine quills. "Max? Who's Ma—Maximillian?" He realized halfway through. He had never heard his cousin be called anything except by his full name.

"He asked me before I left." She said.

"Oh, well, good for you." Scorpius said, irritated. "But I wasn't trying to—to ask you out…or anything. I just wanted to know if you wanted to go flying sometime."

"That's the same thing." Zaneeta said dismissively.

"No, I was trying to make you feel better without saying I'm so sorry for your loss." Scorpius snapped.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me use your salamander's blood."

A week later was the second Hogsmeade trip of the year. All the third years were excited to leave for the village except one. He was staring in horror at his reflection in the Ravenclaw boys' bathroom.

Red bumps. Swollen, unsightly, ugly _pimples_ bordered Scorpius's forehead. They had appeared overnight, breaking up his pale skin and when he accidently popped the first one, the blood then stained his forehead and fingers.

Panicking, Scorpius tried to think. Had anyone else been getting them lately? Sure, there was that Gryffindor girl with a face full of them. Any of his friends? Even if it was just him and Albus today (Rose had Quidditch practice today and Elora still wasn't talking to him, which meant she wouldn't even consent to walk with them in Hogsmeade either), he didn't want to go out like _this_. What if somebody saw?

"Scorpius?" He heard Albus call up. "Are you still in bed?"

Before Scorpius could respond, he heard them dashing up the circular staircase and the door was thrown open. Albus and his little sister stood there grinning as he hastily whipped the wand away from his head.

"Scorp—" Albus started and then he whistled in appreciation as Lily tried to muffle her giggles. "Lil, you shouldn't be in a boys' dorm anyways, get out."

Lily Potter stuck her tongue out and ran out, leaving the two of them alone.

"How did you get in?" Scorpius asked.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Rose told me where the entrance was. I had to think about the riddle though. ?. But what were you trying to do to yourself? Curse them off?"

"Unless you have a potion for boil remover that might work." Scorpius said reluctantly.

"That's a bit drastic." Albus noted. "But I know a charm," Albus pointed the wand at Scorpius's forehead as a breeze alternating between hot and cold was directed at the offending eruptions. "It makes them go back down, but you should try washing your face sometimes too."

"Funny Potter." Scorpius said. "And thanks. It works?"

"On boys and girls." Albus said, slipping his wand back into his pocket. "I know Elora uses it too."

Elora doesn't have any, does she?" Scorpius asked in surprised. The only thing red on her face was her cheeks, he remembered.

"Her bangs cover them up, but yeah. We're all getting them now. Let's head out, shall we?" Albus said as they headed down the stairs.

Hogsmeade was filled with students bustling through the town. They overflowed out of Hogsmeade and the Wheezes. They waved to passing students they knew and to Teddy Lupin, who was carrying a ladder towards the old Shrieking Shack.

"To the Three Broomsticks?" Scorpius asked, feeling the November wind as it shook the leaves from the branches. Albus had buried his hands inside his scarf.

"I was thinking of going into some of the shops…I need to find a birthday present for Rose still." The two boys trudged into a small shop, the bell twinkling quickly before the wind slammed the door behind them. Albus immediately started going through the books (more so for himself than for Rose, Scorpius suspected).

_Well, I might as well look too_, Scorpius thought idly. Her birthday was a week and a half away and he hadn't bought her anything. Since her birthday came before his, whatever he bought would set the standard for his own present. _What does Rose like?_ Quidditch, was the obvious answer, but a junkshop as cheap as this didn't have decent Quidditch supply for sale. _Ok, what do** girls** like then?_

Girls liked dresses, perfumes, shoes, flowers…Scorpius skipped over the clothing racks—how would he possibly know what size she wore? Or if she'd prefer vanilla scent to bluebells? _Jewelry, then? _But even here, the choices were endless: silver, gold, pearls, beads, pendants, charms, earrings, a bracelet, necklaces—

Scorpius gasped at the sight of it and forced himself to blink several times before he hestitantly reached out to touch it. It felt very real; cool to the touch, glinting gold between his fingertips, but quickly warmed. His fingers rubbed the charm that dangled from it: a gold, silver wings all a-flutter Snitch.

Scorpius closed his eyes as the memory of the vision from his Quidditch trial flushed in his mind. Rose simply beaming as she wore it, wore **_this _**necklace.

"That's nice!" Albus said behind him. "But do you think she'd prefer this book?"

Scorpius let the necklace drop reluctantly, following after Albus to see, but his mind was much more focused on that necklace. _I saw her wearing it—and now I see it here. That means I must buy it for her and give it to her, that's what I'm supposed to do. What would happen if I didn't? Would the space-time continuum explode?"_

"What do you think?" Albus asked, holding up a copy of _The Beater's Bible_.

"She already owns it." Scorpius told him, Albus's face falling. "I'm going to wait outside for you."Scorpius left Albus pouring over his book as Scorpius grabbed the necklace and quickly paid the six knuts and waited, the little wrapped necklace in his coat pocket.

"Hello Scorpius!" He heard someone call it. Turning, he saw Jocasta Thurkell, clad in a goldenrod colored cardigan hurrying up to him.

"Hello," Scorpius said, feeling pleased that she was coming over to see him during their Hogsmeade trip. "Jocasta, right?"

She smiled that small, shy like smile again; he wondered if she ever did a toothy grin. "Edith thought it was you it was standing all alone over here," she confessed, pointing to Edith Edgecombe, whose braid stuck out from underneath her cap.

"I'm not, I'm waiting on a friend," Scorpius corrected, sticking his thumb out towards the shop.

"Oh." She said. "That's nice…"

Albus reappeared, looking pleased. "The Three Broomsticks then, chap?" Albus said cheerfully for a moment, before glancing at Jocasta. "Jocasta! You and Scorpius know each other already, or should I introduce you?"

"We've met," Jocasta said quickly. "My friend and I assumed Scorpius was alone…but I'll let you head off to the Three Broomsticks then." She turned, before turning back with a wave. "Bye Albus. Goodbye Scorpius." And then she hurried back to Edith.

"You know her too?" Scorpius asked, as they crunched on leaves that covered the streets of Hogsmeade.

"Yeah, she's in our year. She's in Slytherin too." Albus added. "Do you think she's pretty?"

"She smiles a lot." Scorpius managed to comment.

"I think she would have asked out to go with her Edith if I hadn't shown up." Albus hinted. "We should work something out, in case that happens again. I wouldn't want you scaring off **_my_** birds like that."

Scorpius was cold when he made it back to the Ravenclaw tower. His knuckles were as red as Lily Potter's hair, which shook as she hurried towards him and thrust a small jar into his hands.

"What the—" Scorpius started but Lily raised a finger to her lips.

"It's Ten-Second Pimple Remover," she whispered, clearly thrilled with the level of secrecy. "Lucy let me have it, but I don't need it yet. Albus's good at spells, but he's a _boy_."

Then she flounced off, collapsing cross-legged in a circle of girls and one Hugo Weasley, taking a cat into her lap.

_Girls are weird_, Scorpius decided. _And none more so than Professor Trelawney._

"I want a detailed analysis of your lines and what they possibly signify," Professor Trelawney said blearily on Monday. "Class dismissed—Scorpius, dear…" Wishing he could go to, Scorpius waited at his table as his classmates packed up and left. Trelawney settled down on a pouf next to him. "Well, my dear? Any visions of the delicate future that awaits us both? Any possibilities on the death we must soon mourn?"

Scorpius resisted the urge to bash his head in—or better yet, her crystal ball. If he wasn't now required to have a weekly session and fill her in on every vision he had in a week since, he wouldn't have told_ anyone_ about Halloween.

"No." He said shortly. "But I had one in September. Ro—a friend of mine was wearing this necklace and was thanking me for it. And in Hogsmeade, I saw the necklace for sale. I bought it and I'll give it to her for her birthday. So it will come true."

"Very wise, to never meddle with disrupting the future." She intoned approvingly. "But what of the death?"

"I'm late for my next class," Scorpius interrupted and quickly scaled down the ladder out.

"So, that's it then?" Rose said skeptically, their Arithmancy class filing out behind them. "You just tell her about your visions? Do you even have to learn anything in Divination, or will your visions give you all the answers on your N.E.W.T.s?"

"Of course I'm learning, Rose! We're studying palmistry—here, I'll show you." Scorpius said in exasperation, pulling her over to a bench in the courtyard, setting down their bags.

Rose was wearing orange (_Chudley Cannons_, he smirked) gloves, but he pulled them off and ran her fingers over the palms, finding the faint lines.

"Uh…a square shaped palm, pink colored flesh and short fingers," Scorpius started off with the basics. Rose withdrew her hand before he caught her wrists.

"My fingers are not short," she stated before glancing at them. "Are they? Well, maybe from this side they do—"

"Well, they are not long." Scorpius retorted, trying to focus. "Fire hands. You're a Sagittarius, aren't you? That fits."

"A Saga-what?"

"Your astrological sign." Scorpius told her, letting himself focus further. "The Heart Line; the long one closest to your fingers here," he traced it. "It starts out at your middle finger (inwardly, he sniggered again), but it goes up a little bit…you're selfish. You fall in love easier than most people and you expect to get the same as what you give from them. And if you keep going—it's parallel to the Head Line down here, but it's wavy instead of straight. You try to control your emotions, but you can't control your love life. And that small circle means that love might even make you unhappy." Rose snorted, looking fierce. He hurried on. "The Head Line slashes straight across here, it's farther apart from the Life Line than to the Heart Line."

"Which means what?"

"You crave adventure. It's sloping too, which means you're more creative, but you have all these little lines slashed through it—that stands for momentous occasions that changed your thinking."

Rose seemed to consider this for a moment. "Go on."

"The Life Line circles your thumb, right here. It's pretty curved, so you have lots of energy, but it's pretty shallow too. That means you tend to be easily manipulated—"

"Am _not_," she muttered.

"And your Fate Line, starts here, at the base of your thumb, crosses through the Life Line; which makes since, because your family and friends always support you pretty well. But then it pulls away, turns in the other direction towards your index finger…you'll do something that makes only you happy someday. And your hand will carry a sword."

Rose yanked away now, looking outright suspicious. "A sword? What nonsense are you yattering about now anyways?"

"I'm not sure." Scorpius stammered, feeling bewildered. "I don't know what that was supposed to mean. But I'm pretty sure that I nailed you just by reading your palm."

"That didn't prove you are a Seer though." Rose argued. "Anyone could have memorized all those facts, and you know me! How do I know that you didn't make all that up just to convince me otherwise?"

"Well, once you get a bloke to be your boyfriend, let me know how it works out, we can compare notes then." Scorpius snapped.

But Scorpius couldn't stop thinking about his reading during History of Magic or any of his other classes, or during the Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw match on the following Saturday. Rose was a spectacular Beater and she took out Eliza Higgins within the first twelve minutes.

"And Elizabeth Higgins, Chaser and Captain of the Ravenclaw team is DOWN, knocked cleanly off her broom by Rose Weasley of Hufflepuff!" Lucy Weasley shouted into the microphone.

The Hufflepuff fans cheered as the Ravenclaws around him groaned. Scorpius hmmed mildly, looking up at Rose, grasping her bat. If anything, Rose was a good flyer and Beater. Why he had suggested a sword instead of a future job playing Quidditch or even at least her using a wand, he didn't understand.

The crowd let out another cheer as the Ravenclaw seeker caught the Snitch. Scorpius let his eyes follow her as she drifted back down to earth. She was tiny and a decent flyer, but there had been a moment earlier in the game where he had seen the Snitch hover…

_Did Seeing make your eyes better, so you noticed the things nobody else did, like a Snitch hovering or what would happen in the future?_ Scorpius wondered as he followed the crowd back to the castle.

The match had gone on for so long actually, that if it were not for the house-elves, their pumpkin soups would have gone cold. But they steamed, the heat warming their faces as Wood awarded Ravenclaw points for winning today's match and then Hufflepuff their fair share of goal points. Rose nodded grimly from her place there. In all fairness, as biased as he was being in Ravenclaw (or perhaps he was being unbiased, considering he didn't even get on the team), Rose had played spectacularly well, including a nice double hit where a rebounding Bludger had taken out two opposing Chasers at once. Her cousin, Molly, smiled though, her cheeks pink from the flush of a first-time player.

"Do you think she played well?" A sixth year settled in besides him. Scorpius blinked and glanced at her quickly.

"Quinn Fawcett? Oh yeah, she's a good Seeker." Scorpius replied. The girl looked both vexed and bemused.

"I was speaking of my sister. Molly Weasley. She's sitting next to Rose—I know the two of you are in each other's year and are friendly. Do you think she played well?"

"Um, I'd say so. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were pretty close up until we caught the Snitch." Scorpius reasoned, taking a second look at the Hufflepuff Keeper and then back at her sister. "I didn't know you were sisters, eh…"

"Lucy Weasley, the pleasure's all mine." Lucy Weasley offered. Unlike her sister, Lucy had brown hair, rectangular-framed glasses, pale blue eyes (like Rose's, not Lily's or Molly's, he recognized).

"Scorpius Malfoy." He introduced himself unnecessarily, as Lucy nodded once.

"Well, the match will be good news to write about. I haven't heard much of that lately." She noted, taking an apple from a platter.

"No news is good news," Lorcan suggested, coming up from behind them. Lucy startled, before nodding another greeting and taking a bite of her apple.

"Hello Lorcan," Scorpius said, taking a drink from his goblet. Lorcan twitched, hardly blinking behind his green-tinted glasses.

"Did the peacocks rub off on you?"

Scorpius choked and coughed his pumpkin juice back up into his goblet, the drink searing against his throat.

"What?" He finally managed.

"The peacocks," Lorcan insisted, eyes widening so that his eyebrows disappeared into his bangs. "Peacocks can pass off psychic abilities…and you're so naturally pale. You said they were albino when you gave me the feathers." He added. "Is that why? Lysander said that Rose said you were."

Scorpius started to snicker, he couldn't help it. And then the snickers turned louder, until gasping for air, he pulled Lorcan along out of the Great Hall using him for support. Laughing,_ laughing_ at the ludicrousness of it all, of how Lorcan was still just nodding and patting his back and suggesting that Hagrid could keep a peacock here for him and that now his sister could become a Seer too…

But then a faint memory brushed him…and he was swept up in fixating on every detail, the laughter peeling away as he recalled the albino peacock staring down at him from atop of a hedge—it's eyes for once not beady but wide and prominent and the mad, midnight flight from his dream…

* * *

**Long time no see! I just got my computer fixed up...again. Hopefully, that will be the end of my computer woes. I came very nearly close to losing all my writings too! Coincidentally, I got a birthday present in the mail the day before I had my computer start acting up, but I decided to wait and open it up on my real birthday. It was a computer back-up**. **No kidding!**

**I'm home for the summer, and hopefully I'll get to work, so we'll see how writing goes but I'd like to finish this up before the summer's over since my orginal intent was to have this finished now, or it was supposed to before my computer went mad.**

**To the readers: how many of you are _Doctor Who_ fans? It's my latest obsession; my quidditch team got me to agree to one episode and I blew through all five of the new series in under three weeks. I'm watching bits of the classics and of course, season 6!**


	13. Friday the Thirteenth

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 13: Friday the Thirteenth

* * *

Scorpius had never been inside the Gryffindor common room before: it was like the Ravenclaw Tower, but it seemed smaller and warmer, with gold-gilted red walls and crackling fireplaces. Having a crowd of mostly redheads added to the smallness factor. Lily Potter, who couldn't have possibly been in Gryffindor Tower yet either was already walking around and hanging up posters like she could.

"Ouch!" Hugo Weasley yelped. "My foot! You're—"

"Keep quiet," another Weasley hissed, muzzling his younger cousin. "She'll hear you!"

The Weasleys held their breath, keeping quiet, all eyes on the back of the Fat Lady's portrait as Scorpius wondered what he was doing here, sandwiched between the Scamander twins and uncomfortably close to Elora. _Oh right. You came because we're throwing Rose a surprise party and Albus got James to let me in._

Scorpius wished Albus was here to keep his mind off the tension of having not talked to Elora in weeks, but he and his brother were escorting Rose, leaving Scorpius alone in the lion's den.

The portrait swung open and there were the footsteps: a puff of black cloud that was fading and finally gone, Rose was standing there with James and Albus by her sides as the room bellowed "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Rose was almost speechless, laughing in delight, but she regained her voice quickly to jump forward and start thanking all her cousins and noise broke out again in the forms of conversation and a Weird Sisters tune.

"Hughie!" She practically sang out, tripping towards them and swooping down on her brother. Scorpius sniggered as she rubbed her hand through his even more obnoxiously bushy and red hair.

"Gerroff me! Rosie," Hugo groaned, thrusting a present into her arms and retreating. The troublesome trio greeted her next, James handing a suspiciously book-shaped gift, the darkest of the three (Scorpius didn't know his name) offering her a hug which the third (he was the one who had muzzled Hugo) took advantage of to post a sign on his back.

Albus squeezed his way past the twins. "This party's going great!" He said, holding out slices of cake. "The house-elves even provided catering!"

"Who picked the music?" Scorpius asked, disgruntled.

"Who doesn't like the Weird Sisters?" Albus protested, looking taken aback. "Here, have some cake—you do like cake, or do you hate that too?"

"I'll take cake, thanks." Scorpius said, sticking his fork in the slice.

Lucy Weasley took advantage of an armchair to stand on its arms and waved and shouted until she got the room's attention. "WEASLEYS and HONORED GUESTS!" She echoed, a side effect of a Sonorous Charm. "_Quietus_. Ahem," she cleared her throat. "I speak for all of us when we wish Rose a happy fourteenth birthday. I'm sure most of us have happy memories of those fourteen years—"

"Some of us can remember when she was born!" Victoire hooted from the back of the crowd. "Who named her, Ted?"

Teddy, whose hair had matched the Weasley red, brightened to bubble-gum pink. "She was so pink," he said with a shrug. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"So, happy birthday Rose Nymphadora Weasley!" Lucy called out again and hopped down from the chair. Lily Potter started jitterbugging to the Weird Sisters, the walls covered in her posters (HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CAT?), as a few cousins helped levitate the pile of presents towards Rose, Molly promptly pushing her down into the chair Lucy had just stood on. The portrait door swung open and a few Gryffindors joined in on the party.

Rose started opening presents, admiring each and every one of them before she was handed another. Scorpius had to admire her; he was feeling slightly claustrophobic from the overwhelming shades of red, to Elora's presence, and the number of Weasley relatives he didn't know. Being blonde in a Weasley gathering stuck out like a niffler in Gringotts, he mused as he sat down with the Scamanders and Albus to watch.

"To Rose, from Albus." Rose read off, holding a small box in her hands. For all Albus's neatness, he quite obviously couldn't handle wrapping a present, settling for tying a yellow ribbon around it instead. Little Lily promptly retied the ribbon into Rose's hair as she opened the box.

Rose looked up towards him and she was grinning. "Thank you! I love it, it's absolutely perfect." She gushed. A gold chain was slithering through her fingers with a fluttering gold ball with tiny wings…

Scorpius felt himself go pale as Albus sprung forward, grinning in mad delight. "I wasn't sure if you would, but Scorpius agreed with me. You do like it?"

"Oh, I love it, Albus!" She assured him, slipping the necklace over her head and fluffing her hair back out. It fell gently, sloping against her body.

_But I thought I was supposed to get her it. _Scorpius thought in horror. _I bought it! It's there, on the pile, not from Albus. _

Scorpius managed to sneak his yet-unopened present out of the pile unnoticed, much to his relief. Not that there was time for Scorpius to stay at the party for too long: it was Wednesday and time for the last D.A. meeting of the semester. The Defense Associaton had been something to look forward to each week, with Professor Longbottom and Professor Thomas moved on from disarming to shielding, and promised teach them a neat little jinx tonight so the students could have something to shield themselves against.

"Keep in mind, I'll know who to give Shield Charm practice too if I find someone wobbling around," Professor Longbottom warned them. "_Nofirmucuris_," he demonstrated the Jelly-Legs Jinx for them, causing Professor Thomas to stagger in her heels, knees quaking.

They were paired up, according to age. Scorpius hoped to be with Albus or Rose again, but they were still at the party and then Professor Thomas pushed Elora towards him, still a bit unsteady, so she was stuck with him. True to her credit, she didn't try to switch off when he was distracted with his defense, but she pressed her lips together and except for spellwork, was silent. Elora's defense had always been on the shoddy side, so it surprised him that she was interested in the D.A.; if anything, Scorpius kept his Shield up to block the iciness blowing off of her.

"_Protego_," Scorpius said, letting the spell deflect past and over Elora's shoulder.

"Careful," Professor Thomas warned, projecting her voice over the din. "Aim for the legs; I'm talking to you, Zabini!"

"Elora," Scorpius started hesitantly. "I am really, very sorry—"

She paused and then said firmly, with a sharpness to her voice, "_Nofirmucuris!" _The spell came streaking at him, jagged bits of light splintering off. He barely had time to get the Shield up.

It wasn't exactly the pleasant, satisfying end he had imagined the last meeting to be. Scorpius was just relieved to head to bed, Martin ticking another day off his calendar until the holidays. He had apologized, that was that. Now it was up to Elora to forgive him, although he laid awake in his bed for most of the night, worrying over having that dream again, when she walks in on him and **_her_**.

.

Christmas was still three weeks away, so all he was grateful for was the end of the week: he had to practice his transfigurations and Professor Jones wanted a fifteen inch essay, but at least he'd have two days off before he had those two classes again. Plus, Ancient Runes was canceled for the second time this semester. Just two classes left for the day, and then two days off before the last week of school…

Scorpius felt he should have known better than to walk into Divination feeling so ridiculously hopeful; within the first five minutes of class, Trelawney's eccentricities were overwhelmingly theatrical today. She flinched at the sight of his hands, almost letting them fall into her lap. "All…these crosses—in your head line. My dear…I'm so sorry for all the troubles the Inner Eye will bring you." She ran a shaking finger across his palm before she turned his hand over briefly. "And short nails…an unfortunate quality. Paranoid. An uneasy nature. And these lines of opposition and intuition…"

Then she really did let his hands drop. Professor Trelawney let out a sob, threw her fringed shawl over her head and cried out. "I'm so sorry, my dear children…so very terribly sorry indeed. You see, all I can see is the terribleness in your futures today. I do not wish it so…but of course, you all know what today is?"

"It's Friday." A Ravenclaw confirmed. Trelawney wept, actually_ wept_.

"It's Friday the thirteenth," she confessed, the tears streaking dark, green glittery smears down from her eyes. "So unlucky today, not that there's anything we can do about it, of course…" A few of his classmates sniggering as she pulled out a rabbit's foot and clutched it.

It was at that exact moment that Scorpius felt something rub against his leg. He almost knocked over his chair as he tried to check over the low table, smacking his forehead on the side of it as the _thing_ leapt out from underneath the tablecloth.

"_Merrow_," the cat announced. It was a dark-colored cat, almost a purple-grey, with orange eyes. Professor Trelawney took one look at it and she screamed a horrifyingly high-pitched scream.

"**_BLACK_**!" She screeched. "It's **_black_**! A _black cat_, get it out, _it's bad luck_!"

The cat began to caterwaul in response and jumped up on the teacup shelf. A student jumped up to helpfully grab it when Trelawney shrieked again. "No, don't touch it! That's worst luck!"

Edith stumbled in shock and the cat took off again. Teacups fell, shattering pink and blue china all along the wall. When the crystal balls started to crack, Trelawney just started crying. Scorpius squared his shoulders, dashed along the edge of the room, jumped on top of a pouf and the cat gratefully climbed all over him.

As the cat rubbed her nose on his cheek, one hand awkwardly holding her tail-end to his shoulder and climbing back down, all Scorpius could think was _yuck. I hate cats…stop molesting me—is it purring?_

Trelawney just whimpered but she got impressively quick to her feet as Scorpius came close. "No! No, my poor, brave dear, to touch a black cat today…"

"I think I'll go return this cat, if you don't mind my leaving early to do so…" Scorpius hedged his bets. No point mentioning it looked part kneazle; if she thought it was a black cat, it was his early release from class. Trelawney nodded and Scorpius grabbed his bag quick and scurried down the ladder.

"Let me guess, you're Lily's missing cat, aren't you?" Scorpius asked once the trapdoor had shut (he was already a Seer, it wouldn't be good if he was talking to cats or part kneazles now too). The cat wriggled and purred in his arms. Dark hairs were already rubbing off on his sleeves. He was shedding the cat hair like mad when Lily finally, gratefully took back her cat.

"Oh, Indigo, I missed you so much!" she sniffed. The cat curled in her arms. Scorpius wrinkled his nose as he tried to discreetly wipe the hairs off himself. "Thank you so much, Scorpius." Lily said gratefully, her brown eyes beaming. "Actually, I was just looking for you too!"

"What for? I'm really not in the mood for a chess rematch with Hugo, if that's what you wanted." Scorpius said wearily.

"No, Elora was looking for you." Lily replied.

"Was looking—**_Elora_**?" Scorpius said in disbelief. "She hasn't said two words to me since November!"

Lily shrugged. "She said she needed to find you," she repeated. "She said it was important." She assured him.

"Did she say where to find her?" Scorpius asked, puzzled.

"Just that she was looking for you." Lily said again, letting Indigo nuzzle her red hair.

"Thanks then." Scorpius said. Lily granted him a smile and hurried off with the kneazle still purring in her arms.

Since he really didn't feel like returning to Divination and telling Trelawney about his failure at predicting Rose's birthday present, Scorpius wandered the halls casually, glancing at every blonde haired girl he passed in case it was her.

_Wonder what was so important for her to break a vow of silence over, _Scorpius mused. _Did she fail her first Potions test? Is she mad at Albus or Rose and wants someone to complain to? Decided to forgive me finally?_

The clock tower rang out briefly, before the buzz of students talking and hurrying to their next class filled the halls. Scorpius squeezed past two fifth years nattering about Quidditch and sprinted up to the fourth floor in time for the door to the classroom to shut behind him. As he took his seat, he noticed with some surprise that Elora was not there.

"Welcome, class. I thought we might have a discussion to start with, about how King Arthur was raised compared to how we handle such matters now. As we learned last class, Arthur was born a Squib to a wizard and witch, Uther Pendragon and Igraine of Cornwall, formerly the wife of Gorlois, whom she had the daughter, Morgause. Yes, Johanna?"

Johanna Bewley cleared her throat. "Is there a difference? Uther sent Arthur to live with a muggle family. Lots of Squibs now are intregrated into muggle society, sometimes adopted, but most stay with their families until they come of age, right?"

"But do most Squibs receive magical training?"

"Why would Merlin teach Arthur anyhow? It's not like he was going to grow magic just because he was transfigured and bespelled so many times."

"Well, that's one theory." Professor Dubvessa suggested.

"No really—what was the point? To dangle magic in front of him, it's cruel!"

"He didn't know it though, didn't he? He was dropped on the doorstep of a muggle noble. So much for being the son of a king."

"Back in those days," a Gryffindor cut in, "people, even wizards, believed in blood purity and that there should be an heir. It makes sense; Uther would want a magical heir."

"Morgan le Fay," Professor Dubvessa slipped in. "She was their daughter, the magical one. She was denied the throne on account of her sex and conceded to Arthur."

"But I thought Igraine was the Queen?"

Martin Goldstein waved his hand once before he added in, "She inherited the throne, but it was her husband who would rule, but wizards were afraid to have another muggle on the throne, so they had to replace him with Uther."

"So when _Uther_ died, he didn't have an heir after all."

"Correct." Professor Dubvessa replied. "So, he enchanted a sword before his death, so only one of his wizard-blood could remove it from the rock. To appeal to the muggles, because you must remember, wizards were driven into hiding although Uther made it law that they would be now protected by the goverment; the stone was outside of the church where they were holding his funeral. The nobles would hold a tournament for the honor of pulling it out, but only the ones who were secretly wizard and closest in kin to the Pendragons would be able to."

"So, how could Arthur—"

"Open your notes to where we left off last time and we will begin with how Arthur the Squib son of Uther Pendragon was crowned king." Professor Dubvessa cleared her throat. "Arthur was brought along to be a squire to his adopted muggle brother, Kay and while they were waiting to compete in the tournament, Kay realized he forgot his sword and sent Arthur back to get it. But the inn was locked, so Arthur decided he must best borrow the sword in the graveyard, not knowing it's significance. He pulled out the sword and—"

The door swung open, Elora was standing there empty-handed, rushing forward towards him."Scorpius!" Elora cried out, running back around the corner and catching ahold of his collar. "Oh, Scorpius, I've been looking for you everywhere, you have to come with me now—I'm sorry, Professor Dubvessa, but Professor Hagrid sent me, it's urgent, I'm sorry!" For being so short, she walked briskly, pulling him along after her out of the classroom. Scorpius stumbled down the corridor, slightly alarmed now.

"What is it?" He asked, feeling himself shake. Elora shook her head and her blonde hair twitched in response.

"Lorcan told me Lysander found him," she said rapidly, sounding anxious. "Ly took him down to Hagrid's and skipped Charms and Herbology. He didn't know it was yours until Lorcan brought him down lunch and recognized him…I've been searching for you since Hagrid told me in Care of Magical Creatures, he let me go to find you."

"Elora, _what happened_?"

They had reached the bottom of the steps outside the castle. Hagrid's hut still had a light on in the kitchen.

Elora let go of him, stepped back and took a breath, not meeting his eyes.

"It's your owl. Pluto. We think it might have been a wild thestral and afterwards, he flew back and—"

Scorpius didn't hear anymore, as he tore down the hillside, running on the stone path towards Hagrid's, leaving Elora panting to keep up after him. He wrenched open the door on the Scamander twins and Hagrid, all gathered around the table. They were all very quiet.

Scorpius inched closer to the table, hardly breathing as Elora finally made it in behind him, gasping noisily and clutching a stitch in her side. But none of that mattered to him. What did though, was the grey owl, his fierce orange eyes were not so fierce, his feathers grey and bloody, lying too still on the table.

And somewhere, in his mind's eye, was the raven's cawing, flying away into the darkness, and mocking him before it turned into a wail.

* * *

**Hello! This is my surprise for you, in honor of the countdown to POTTERMORE! I loved her little scavenger hunt; but I'm really excited to see what it possibly could be that Jo has been working on!**

**On a much less happy note, I'm afraid and sorry to admit that I've come down with a severe case of the writer's block, especially when it comes to fanfiction. Maybe I've been working on this series for too long and need time to rejuvenate, but the good news is that I've almost completed Year 3 (very behind schedule, but almost there nonetheless!). Hopefully, once finished, I can pop these chapters out.**

**Tomorrow! It's almost here!  
**


	14. The Centaur Herd

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 14: The Centaur Herd

* * *

Saturday the fourteenth of December was the last Hogsmeade trip of the year. The carriages rolled out, leaving wheel and thestral tracks in the snow behind them. In one of those carriages were his friends. He had to convince them that he was okay and he wanted to be alone for this before they all climbed reluctantly into one of the carriages. Scorpius tucked the little coffin-box under his arm, using his wand and boots to kick the snow and branches out of his way. Hagrid had offered to dig a hole in the pumpkin patch for Pluto, but that wasn't right. He needed to go back, to where they held Halloween.

It took almost half an hour for him to find that exact clearing. Unlike the dark twisted trees from that autumn night, this winter morning in the forest was bathed in snow so bright it turned the birch trees grey.

"_Defodio_," he said, watching the ground carve itself out. "_Defodio,_" Scorpius repeated, making the hole deeper. The hole was dark in the snow. Scorpius bent down to gently drop the little box in. The lid slipped off and for a brief moment before he replaced it, he saw Pluto, grey feathered, the blood carefully cleaned off by Hagrid, but his orange eyes dull and dead.

He stamped the dirt over it and turned to head back out of the forest. Then there was the wailing again. It was throaty and miserable-sounding, low and moaning, mournful. Scorpius stumbled, his hands shaking and teeth chattering from more than just cold. 

_Was Pluto the death? Is there another? Another death? Who?_

He started walking faster, snapping branches underfoot as the wailing faded behind him. But Scorpius didn't trip until the voice behind him said: "Into the woods, you came again."

Scorpius tripped, stumbling, his knees sinking into the snow. As he shakily started to get up, a hand stuck itself out and he took it.

"The stars shone too brightly for our so-brief a meeting," the centaur noted. It was the one from Halloween; pale blue eyes, palomino fur turned silver with age. He stroked his white beard, gesturing with his other hand. "Come with me."

Scorpius hesitantly followed behind, watching awkwardly so the centaur's back feet never stepped on him. "I'm sorry," Scorpius tried to start the conversation after a few minutes. "But you are…?"

"I am a centaur from the herd that lives here in this forest." He replied. "I am the Sage Elder now. I am called Firenze."

"Nice to meet you again…Firenze," said Scorpius as the centaur waited for him to climb over a fallen log. "My name is Scorpius."

Firenze's pale blue eyes widened. "Scorpius? Like the scorpion in the stars who slayed proud Orion?"

"Well, my middle name is Hyperion, but yes, Scorpius," Scorpius admitted. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."

Now Firenze shook his head and mane, smiling slightly as they began to slow. "Your father's past, as you wizards pride yourselves so heavily on, are meaningless to centaurs. What fate you choose to be part of however…"

"What—" Scorpius never got to finish his sentence as a leggy, dapple-grey centaur came cantering up to them.

"Sage Firenze!" He yelped excitedly. His human half looked no older than Scorpius without a beard or even fuzzy cheeks yet.

"Cyll," Firenze greeted him. "Walk with Scorpius for me. I will ride ahead and warn the centaurs of a visitor."

And with that, Firenze galloped away, leaving Scorpius with the colt. The colt stared at him sideways and with a sound like a shrill whinny, he stepped alongside of him.

"I've never met a human before," the young centaur said, sounding unapologetic. "Is it true that you are a Seer, too? You must be, for the elders would never allow an outsider in."

"I am," Scorpius said, struggling to keep up as the ground tilted downward. "My name is Scorpius."

"I am Cyll," the centaur bragged. "I know what Scorpius is—it's the constellation." He pranced a bit in place.

"And if you practiced as much as you pranced, you might know more of them," a centaur said pointedly as he trotted up to them. He, like Firenze who was with him, was older and was grey in color. "So this is the Seer."

"My name is—"

"Scorpius. I am Nessus. Run on back home, Cyll, the Seer won't be visiting today since he wasn't actually invited yet."

Cyll sent Scorpius a broad wink and a whinny, and galloped off.

"I am sorry," Scorpius tried to apologize immediately. "I don't mean to keep coming into your forest. The first time, my friends pulled me in and just now, I was burying my bird…"

"Centaurs," Firenze interrupted him. "Are notorious for keeping our secrets—because they are precisely _secret_. Your being a Seer gains you a certain respect as almost an equal, I dare suggest. Tell me, what have your visions foretold of the Order that shall come in time?"

"Sorry?"

"The stars, perhaps then?" Firenze suggested. "Have you seen how Pluto has finally risen again after years of being in Mars's, then Jupiter's shadow?"

"I don't remembering covering this in Astronomy," Scorpius said weakly.

The two centaurs exchanged almost incredulous glances and then Nessus said, spit bursting. "How can you be a Seer and not **_know_**?"

"Well, I'm new to this and I haven't been understanding most of what's going on, let alone learning it," said Scorpius, defending himself.

"I'm afraid we can't talk to you yet then," Firenze said, sounding slightly apologetic. "Knowledge is best when self-discovered…"

"How will I know when to come and talk to you then—or why would I want to?" Scorpius seized on that thought. "Why would I want to…why won't **_you_** just teach me about Seeing?"

"You will know when to come," Firenze said and with a flick of their tails, Firenze and Nessus disappeared further into the forest.

.

The last week of classes passed in a haze: he sat down for his Defense class and it took three hard pokes from Rose to realize Professor Thomas was talking.

"When we return from break, you will face your greatest fears. I have successfully contained a boggart inside that closet" -(the closet's doorknob rattled unnervingly)- "and starting next January, we will begin a unit on boggarts. Can anyone define a boggart for me?"

"A boggart is a shape-shifter, meant to be our worst fears," Edith answered promptly.

"Has anyone here ever faced a boggart before?" Professor Thomas asked. A few hands raised.

"There was a boggart under my bed when I was six," Aaron Boot said earnestly. "My dad hit me with a Tickling Charm until it went away."

"A bit unothordox, but yes, laughter is what finishs boggarts off. We will begin practicing the charm today and after break, we will begin practicing on our boggart friend. Wands out."

Before he knew it, he was sitting in Divination, listening to Trelawney rabble about the the mounds of the palm. He was never so grateful to hear the bell ring or so annoyed when she held them back.

"Students, one moment please, I have an announcement to make!" She declared dramatically, a hand held up to her forehead. "The Inner Eye foretold that two more would join our number at the beginning of the year I told you, and now the second one has added the course to their schedule, to take effect next semester. And I hope none of you shall ever doubt the wisdom of the Inner Eye!"

.

Scorpius inched closer to the front doors as Professor Jigger marked off the second year Ravenclaws. They finally made it through with their luggage and ran ahead down the steps to the carriages waiting. _Finally_, he thought as she let Johanna and Aaron go through too.

"Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Jigger read off her sheet before glancing down at Amelie.

"Here," Scorpius said, trying not to sound disgruntled.

"Oh." She murmured, stepping past Amelie. "There you are. Would you mind giving this…" she fumbled about her sheets of names, then in her pockets before finally withdrawing an envelope from the inside of her boot. "To your parents?"

Scorpius took the envelope cautiously as she clucked her tongue and pointed him through the front door down to the carriages.

As it was, Scorpius completely forgot about the strange letter he had later slipped into his Herbology textbook until he was halfway through his serving of lamb stew at home, one of the dogs whimpering at his ankle.

"We received an invitation," his mother mentioned nonchalantly. "To a wedding in March. Mr. Edward Lupin to a Miss Victoire Weasley. Aren't they now teaching at Hogwarts, Scorpius?"

"Yes, Ted—Professor Lupin," Scorpius amended before his grandmother's nose could turn so pointedly. "He is the new Transfiguration professor. He's still working on his Mastery, but he is a Metamorphagus too. And Madam Weasley is the school nurse."

"It's being held over your Easter break just to coincide with their work schedules." Mum added, pouring his father something to drink. "Although I do imagine that they won't be returning with the students."

"Send in your R.S.V.P.'s, Asteria," Dad said after a good swallow.

"I will," Mum assured him. "Scorpius, might I borrow Pluto? Iris is out sending a letter for your father."

"Pluto's dead," Scorpius muttered.

His parents exchanged glances over his head before his father pushed his chair back and came over to him.

"I'm sorry, Scorpius," Dad said. "When did this happen?"

"About two weeks ago," Scorpius said tiredly. "It was an accident. He was injured on a flight and there was too much blood."

"Pluto was a good owl," Mum said kindly. "I'll send the R.S.V.P.s with Iris when she gets back then."

"Good," his father said, returning to his seat, "You and Scorpius ought to enjoy yourselves."

"Asteria, Scorpius and I will enjoy ourselves, Draco," Grandmother Narcissa corrected.

"I don't believe I will be attending, Mother, I'd rather let the Weasleys keep their occasions happy—"

"I was not referring to you," Grandmother Narcissa remarked. Scorpius dropped his fork on to the floor. "Send them in the mail Asteria, that the three of us will be attending."

The word _mail_ reminded Scorpius precisely then of the letter tucked away still. "Excuse me," he said and he flew from the silenced table all the way back upstairs to his old bedroom. It was still blue and the wood was still made of cherry, but it seemed colder somehow, after four months away. Scorpius ignored this notion and found the letter, rushing back downstairs.

Mully had already cleared away the stews and brought out lemon tarts for dessert. His parents and grandmother were still sitting there. "The school had me bring this home with me," Scorpius explained, holding out the letter. His mother accepted it and upon opening, read it once to herself. A small crease between her eyebrows emerged as she stared at it and then handed it to her husband.

"I suppose this is as good a time as any to have this conversation," his father announced, laying the letter flat on the table.

"I already served detention—" Scorpius began.

"This isn't about what you've done," Mum soothed.

Grandmother Narcissa made a small mumbling sound and the silver snake's head was lifted off the table as she used it to settle herself. The Italian greyhounds yapped and scurried back to their mistress's side. "I'll leave you to deciding how to best raise your son. I think I will go to bed. Good night."

"Goodnight," Mum murmured back.

His Dad studied the letter once more and drained the last of his glass. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy." He said finally. "I have no idea how or why, but somehow, you inherited the Sight."

"From who?" Scorpius managed. He didn't dare blink—he stared them both down. If he blinked, he might see her face—

"From my aunt."

* * *

**Surprise! In honor of Jo and Pottermore, I put up this extra chapter. Well, what do you think? :)**


	15. The Great Aunt's Grave

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter Fifteen: The Great Aunt's Grave

* * *

Scorpius finally blinked, his grey eyes watering from the effort. "I'm sorry, Mum, but I swore I just heard you say _your aunt_—"

Mum nodded, a tiny smile glimpsed across her thin lips. "My mother's sister. Her name was Soleil Graves, but I called her Aunt Sunny."

"She was a Seer."

"I didn't realize it then. My mother…I wouldn't say she hated her sister, but actually, she might have." She studied her bracelet. "Perhaps she was jealous. Not that anyone can really say now of course. But I was very fond of her as a child. We drank tea together, we played card games. A neighbor gave her a chicken and she showed me how to crack the eggs…all forms of Divination, but I didn't realize it then."

"When did you realize…that she and I are…" Scorpius tried.

Mum looked thoughtful. "Aunt Sunny died when I was eight years old in an accident. My mother didn't take us to the funeral and soon enough I went to Hogwarts and I just didn't think about it anymore. Not until around the time I was pregnant, I mean." She smiled now, a real one that stayed as she reached out to stroke, not tousle his hair. "I was looking through boxes for things we could use once we had you as our baby and I found her old Tarot pack. She gave them to me right before she died and I just started _weeping_ and holding those cards for probably an hour. That's where your middle name comes from, Scorpius. Hyperion was a Greek titan of light and the sun. Your father wouldn't let me name you Apollo—"

"Thanks," Scorpius whispered to his father, who chuckled and nodded as if Asteria was making him laugh at the memory, who was still reminiscing.

"But I remember quite clearly—" she broke off then. "Scorpius, I've studied the human brain and the power the mind has against both memory and magic and the manipulations of it quite extensively. Of course, to be an Oblivator, I had to take at least the Divination O.W.L. because when I erase someone's past or present, I'm changing their future too. But how the Seer's mind is…" She hesitated, before continuing on in a harsher, quieter tone, "Only Seers and those who have worked in the Department of Mysteries or someone who was able to find a willing subject and was able to do private experiments know how they work. I'm afraid my knowledge is limited in a scenario like this."

"So what? What does Hogwarts want me to do? I'm already in Divination and have to report to Professor Trelawney every time I remember a dream."

"Considering his youth and the lack of living Seers in the family other than the student in question, Hogwarts is willing to hire for Mr. Scorpius Malfoy, a mentor, who can help him reach his potential and learn more about this new-found ability." His father recited straight off the page.

"**_Two_** Trelawneys?" Scorpius asked indignantly. "I didn't ask to become a Seer and I certainly didn't ask for Trelawney to _mentor_ me, let alone have the school hire one specially for me!"

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you've already done bodily harm to yourself in at least one vision and lost out on three days of school due to another one!" His mother said, raising her voice sharp and cold like a knife's edge. "If the school and the Board of Governors have agreed to our request that they hire someone, it means that they not only care, but they are worried, as are we!"

"Only because I saw Bellatrix Lestrange in them!" Scorpius blurted out.

The silence was even more deafening the second time.

It was his father who finally managed to finish it. "There. Two very good reasons why we will allow Hogwarts to hire this mentor for you. First: to see what you can do about this Seeing ability and if there's a way to…ah—tune it out, if you'd rather. And secondly, to see what Bellatrix Lestrange has to do with the future."

.

It was Christmas morning before the fact that their son was now Seer was brought up again. Until then, Scorpius spent four wonderful days re-reading in the library, helping Mully decorate the Manor for Christmas, resuming his afternoon readings to his grandmother and watching his father as he restored a Nimbus Two Thousand and One that had started to shy away from other flying objects that came too close.

"Happy Christmas, Scorpius." Mum whispered as she opened the door to his room enough to poke her head in sideways. "May I come in?"

"Happy Christmas Mum," Scorpius said, scrambling out of bed to open the door all the way for her. Mum held him for a moment, wrapping her arms around him before she dropped her hands down to her waist to adjust her dressing gown.

"I have a special gift for you," she said, reaching into the ivory pocket of her dressing gown and pressed the small package into his hand.

He lifted it up; she hadn't wrapped it any. In fact, it was nothing more than an old, creased pack of cards. He opened it, noted one flap had torn off, letting the cards slide into the palm of his hand.

"They belonged to my Aunt Sunny." Mum said. "It's the Tarot cards she gave me before she died. I meant to give them back the next time, because she told me to see who these cards ought to belong to, but then she died. But I think maybe, she might have known it all along. Leave them on your dresser for now and come have Christmas with us, Scorpius."

Scorpius didn't even think about the cards lying on his bureau until that evening after Christmas dinner, when he finished his trek back up to his bedroom again. His arms were full of his other presents that he hadn't brought up yet: a new pair of Keeper's gloves, another new robe set, some Divination books and what his father called a Hand of Glory.

He was arranging them neatly around his room, setting down his new robes on the dresser when he stopped for a moment and ran his fingers over the deck of cards. He had heard of Tarot before, of course, but he had ever never played it or understood them. They looked nothing like a regular pack of cards either. He sorted through, opening the pack into a fan formation. Strange names too: _The Empress, Death, The Eight of Hearts_…he shuffled through them too quickly and one fell out of his hand. Scorpius dropped down on one knee to pick it up and froze.

A woman (_naked_ was his first thought) down on one knee like himself. She was pouring water. The sky was blue and there were five, six, seven white stars with the large yellow one in the middle. The bottom of the card said _The Star_. Scorpius studied this card, flipping over to the back, a blank of endless decorative detail when he remembered. He had seen a pack of Tarot cards before—last summer at Borgin and Burkes! He had seen this card on display there, along with the man holding a wand and a girl with the lion…Scorpius turned the card back over, this time noticing the small tree behind the woman with a dark little bird perched there. He then slipped _The Star_ card back into the deck and shuffled until he found another familiar card titled _Judgment. _

Scorpius hurried over to his school trunk, opening it up and digging near the bottom before he finally located the scrap piece of paper that Professor Thomas had given him from when everyone found out he was a Seer. It was in her handwriting but she said she had written down only what he had said, save the title **_Tarot Card-_**_Judgement Reversed_ across the top.

_people in black squares, standing up, but are upside down. skin grey and naked sky is blue and in the sky is another person, bigger than the others. His skin not grey blowing on a trumpet. He's waving a flag like Switzerland. _

_Nervous—the boats over the lake the Sorting._

She had underlined the last sentence. Not getting anything out of it, he flipped it over and found more writing on the back.

_Little boy, blonde, lavender eyes. Son. (Vision)._

"That's not right," he said aloud, grabbing a quill and correcting it. _He had indigo eyes. _The only thing "lavender" about it was that they were the same color as Professor Thomas's eyes.

"What is that?"

Scorpius startled and dropped the entire deck. He hurried to pick up all of the cards, shoving the paper into his pocket as Anastasia Malfoy watched amused.

"Anastasia," He greeted her, sliding the cards back into the package. "Happy Christmas."

Anastasia had only left her tower once before, as far as Scorpius could remember, when he was six and waking up from a nightmare to find her floating at the foot of his bed—usually, he visited her in the tower.

She nodded and drifted in closer. "How have your classes been, Scorpius Hyperion?"

"They've been fine. I learned spells, the Goblin war of 1756, and about when muggles and wizards were able to get along in King Arthur's time."

"You mean that silly muggle puppet of Merlin's?" Anastasia almost stifled a laugh.

"He wasn't a puppet. Merlin was his teacher, but Arthur was my age and he was already a good king to the muggles and to the wizards." Scorpius contradicted her.

"Not after Merlin disappeared from the stories." She said coldly.

Scorpius settled on his bed. "I haven't read that part yet!"

"I heard that you are a Seer, Scorpius Hyperion. Is it true?"

There was a curious tone to her voice and Scorpius could feel himself start a smile as he answered. "Yes. I knew my great-aunt was a Seer too, but it turns out, it was my mother's aunt who it was."

"Who else could it be?" Anastasia said, sounding slightly scornful. "There haven't been any Seers in the Malfoy family."

"I was afraid it was one of my other great-aunts." Scorpius clarified, cringing. "Bellatrix Lestrange. I was absolutely terrified of it—that I could have inherited something from her, that I was anything like her—"

"Black."

"—as wicked, as insane, as—sorry?"

"Bellatrix _**Black**_."

Anastasia stood there, her transparent self heaving, as if she felt the need to take deep breaths. "You were afraid of being a Black when you are already a _Malfoy_?"

"Already a…what does my surname have to do with this?" Scorpius asked, bewildered.

Now she really did laugh, but it was high-pitched and shaky. Her eyes were welling up with silver. "You think the Black family was bad? That's why they didn't survive the War and the Malfoys did, because you all repented and saved Harry Potter's life!" Now, she was practically cackling. "Your family almost killed him, two months before the Battle at Hogwarts took place!"

Scorpius didn't move from his seat on the bed, couldn't open his mouth to respond. Anastasia sneered, and for the first time, he saw that so-known Malfoy smirk.

"In the Drawing Room. When the family tapestry is in place, you must activate the charm so you can pull it away. There's a door behind it."

And then she turned invisible on him, making it impossible to know when she had left the room. Maybe she stayed, unseen, just to see what he would do next. But Scorpius stayed there, waiting until he felt he was alone before he slid off the bed and headed towards the Drawing Room. Sure enough, on the far wall was the Malfoy family tree, immortalized on the tapestry. His grandmother had told him that such tapestries were a tradition made by the eldest of pureblood families and theirs stretched back so many years that Scorpius had to stoop a little to be eye-level with his own face, his name threaded underneath.

Scorpius's fingers brushed the cloth: it was old but immobile, steady against the wall behind it. There was nothing here. Maybe Anastasia had floated through the wall or they might have been something once. She had barely left the tower for as long as he had known. Satisfied, Scorpius stood up straight, looking up to the family crest and he could remember when he was small and his father would lift him to see it.

_"Sanctimonia Vincet Semper_," Scorpius recited. With a little shudder, the tapestry began to roll up and there was a door where there shouldn't be a door.

Scorpius stood there, a bit shocked for the moment and then he pushed it in. There was no doorknob, but it swung in easily, revealing a set of stone sets leading down into the dark. The light behind him led him down, his feet thudding with every step on the flight until he reached the bottom. The chamber was dark. Grateful that he lived in a wizarding home and could get away with under-aged undetected magic, Scorpius lit the end of his wand. And then he dropped it, the little light highlighting the stone floor and an old rusting nail.

The hidden chamber was a dungeon. There was dusty, heavy manacles stretching out from the walls. There was a small pot for either drinking or pissing, a few untied ropes, some small scraps of fabric and a pair of shoes left behind. A half-melted candle was knocked over at his feet. "I don't believe it," he muttered to himself. Suddenly angry, he turned and shouted it. "I DON"T BELIEVE IT!"

"Be-believe-ve wha-wh-what?" an unfamiliar, stuttering voice asked. Scorpius stumbled backwards, his horror growing as he stared at the face of another ghost, his face unnaturally pale periwinkle and his hand almost a glowing shade of silver. Then he vanished.

He then was tripping over the candle as he tried to avoid stepping on the nail when he stumbled into something and they grabbed at his wrists and elbow—

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy." His grandmother whispered after he stopped struggling. "How did you? You were never supposed to find this room, it's been closed since—"

Scorpius wasn't sure what she was exactly asking him, and he felt certain neither did she. "Anastasia told me. You kept prisoners in here."

"Scorpius, that was a great many years ago—"

"Not when Anastasia was alive. I mean you did."

She didn't deny it. Instead, she let go of him and bent down to pick up her late husband's cane. Scorpius bent down not to help her, but to touch the pair of shoes. They were no bigger than his own, but definitely female. Plain, dull and now dusty brown boots with orange pipe cleaners for laces.

"Anastasia Eurydice Malfoy is jealous." She said calmly. "She never was able to go to Hogwarts, floating around this manor, eternally a prisoner—"

"Why would she be jealous?" Scorpius asked coldly.

His grandmother tapped the cane on the floor. "She was what would have been one of those rare, late-in-life magicians. Unfortunately, as she only lived to be sixteen, her parents assumed she was a Squib."

"But she's a ghost." Scorpius argued in disgust. "A Squib can't become a ghost—"

"Her parents might have not been so hasty with a Killing Curse if they had been able to determine that."

Scorpius couldn't respond. She took his silence as an opportunity to continue. "That was Peter Pettigrew's ghost and he was not _our_ prisoner." Grandmother Narcissa said quietly. "He, like us, was a prisoner to the Dark Lord. There was a curse upon his hand because it was a gift from him. I do not know what happened, but during their escape, he met his death. For whatever reason, he didn't move on. He stayed, hiding out like the rat he was down here."

"Peter Pettigrew wasn't your prisoner then." Scorpius said, feeling like he was going to heave. "But Harry Potter was."

"I was trying to save my family. The Snatchers brought him and the others here…" Grandmother Narcissa whispered. Scorpius turned and ran back up the stairs into the Drawing Room where the dogs were waiting, tongues and tails wagging. In the mirror over the mantle, he could see her follow him and then she turned her back to him to seal the entrance again, letting the tapestry down. "Your father tried to protect him."

Scorpius's head snapped up. She went on, "He was deliberately being vague, that he wasn't _sure_, that it _might_ be them. If Bellatrix hadn't noticed the Sword…" That was all Scorpius listened to before he ran, past the Christmas decorations winding around the staircases and through the hallways and up to his room. He stayed there, at first storming around his room and then finally he just sat there, shaking.

_My family, _he thought, _is just as twisted as Oedipus's. _And once he finally admitted it to himself, he let the tears slide down past his nose.

.

"Grandmother Narcissa, where are we?"

"Follow me."

Scorpius followed his grandmother that next morning across a cold field, the cane finding the safe places among the snow and ice to step, as they walked down rows of gravestones. This seemed very familiar, but eerily so.

"But why—"

"Almost there." She promised. And Scorpius fell silent. If his grandmother was willing to leave behind her dogs and leave the manor itself, then it had to be important. The last time he knew that she had left the manor had been for his grandfather's funeral, the burial held in this cemetery.

"Are we going to Grandfather's grave?"

"We can afterwards, if you'd like."

Finally she stopped at a row end and carefully picked her way through the headstones, coming to a halt in front of a small tombstone, made from some dark-colored rock.

**_BELLA BLACK_**

_ March 29, 1951_

"She was my sister, Scorpius."

Scorpius didn't know what to say. He felt the proper thing to do in this kind of situation would be to kneel, do a prayer thing to her soul, but he suspected she might have not had one, besides, the snow was on the ground and was likely to soak through his pants if he knelt.

"Say what you want: Death Eater, murderer, monster, evil, deserved to die—at the end of her life, I believe she had gone truly mad after the Dark Lord cruciated us for allowing Potter to escape, but don't you ever forget that she once loved someone, that she was a child, that she was my sister and _I **loved** her_."

Scorpius wasn't sure what to say to that. "There's no date of death."

His grandmother shrugged. "If anyone knew this was the resting place of Bellatrix Lestrange, there wouldn't be enough left untouched to bother re-burying."

They stood there together like that, upright and not close enough to touch despite the December chill, staring down at the grave for a very long while.

* * *

**_Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2_-tonight! The Battle of Hogwarts documentary (chapter five) released tomorrow...and of course, Pottermore at the end of the month (for those lucky million people).**

**Due to a surprising family tragedy, I've had little time to write, but I'd thought I would release a chapter nonetheless. I'll catch up although I'm still months behind schedule. I wanted to have this finished last May. :( On another announcement of bad news, I have become aware that a series featuring "Katherina Wood" had attempted to steal my stories and some of my characters, Emmett McLaggen, Zytka Zabini and Elora Longbottom among them. I thought it needless to say that I don't take to thieving kindly, or for that matter, anonymous flamers. **

**I hope all is well with my readers!  
**


	16. Imogene's Inner Eye

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 16: Imogene's Inner Eye

* * *

Scorpius found himself waiting as the footsteps sounded closer. Then the door opened and he found himself looking up to the face of Harry Potter. "Scorpius Malfoy!" He said, sounding surprised. "I suppose you are here to see Al?"

"Yes, he invited me." He asked, shuffling on the Potters' front stoop.

"Come in then." Harry Potter said, ushering him inside Grimmauld Place number twelve.

The hallway was a pale kind of gold color with dark wood floors and a staircase that took up most of the hall. On his side was a doorway, with muted clashing coming from behind the door. "My wife is busy cooking," Harry Potter answered, seeing Scorpius shoot a nervous look at the door. "She does it when she has writer's block, not that I'd complain about her having it. The drawing room is upstairs."

He and Harry Potter went up a flight of stairs together. Any dignity the Head of the Auror Department may have had vanished when he stepped on sleeping Indigo's tail, the yowling kneazle-cat proceed to sprint up several steps and glower at them from above.

"Here you are," Mr. Potter said, opening the door. The room had the opposite wall completely covered in floor-to-ceiling windows framing the street outside and was as unlike his family's drawing room as possible. There were not tall, stiff chairs, but three low-seated, plumped up couches against the walls. There was a broom rack with six or seven brooms sticking out of it and underneath it was the ball trunk. There was a pile of books left on the floor and an unwashed cup of tea sitting on the window sill. It was as chaotic and wildly careless kind of life that Scorpius had long suspected was necessary to make so different people as James, Albus and Lily. "Albus will be down in a minute," Mr. Potter said. "I hope you boys have fun. You are welcome to come see Al when you like, it must get lonely at Malfoy Manor sometimes being an only child."

And then the Chosen One was gone and Scorpius spent a few moments alone, before another Potter trotted in like he owned the place. "Hello Malfoy," a voice that reminded him of molasses—sounding good, but tasting awful. James grinned at him from the doorway.

"JAMES!" Lily yelled, berating her brother as she stomped in after him, her kneazle now carried in her arms like a teddy bear. "You stepped on Indigo's tail! And to think I was going to clean up after Indigo marked your broom."

James whirled on her in shock, forgetting him for the moment. "Your dumb cat—"

"_She's a kneazle_!"

"—pissed on my _broom_?"

Lily sniffed haughtily. "At least it wasn't shit."

"Lily Luna Potter! I know I didn't send you to Hogwarts to learn words like that!" a woman who must have been Mrs. Potter stormed in. She had hair as red as Lily and Rose, and she puts her hands on her hips now, looking especially like a tiger. "I am trying to write an article. I shouldn't have to come up here and tell you lot to shut up while I'm writing, now do I?"

"Absolutely not, Mum!" James encouraged her in a winning tone of voice, grinning victoriously at Lily.

"I thought you were still cooking." Lily muttered mutinously.

Mrs. Potter threw her a look, as if to say _I'll cook you if you don't shut it, Lily Luna Potter. _"Put down Indigo, Lily, and _you_ can cook while I write my article. If those Potions grades of yours are any indication, you can use some practice stirring the pot. James, that kneazle only does it because your room stinks so much. Try cleaning it. And Albus—" Mrs. Potter exhaled, looking at Scorpius before she startled. "You're not Albus. You're Scorpius Malfoy. Nice to see you Scorpius." And with a mutter under her breath that sounded like "_At least I have one child…_" Mrs. Potter left the room, Lily flouncing after her. Indigo rubbed himself up against James, getting hair all over his black pants before retreating. James scowled, tried to brush it off as Scorpius stifled a laugh. James turned his scowl on him for a moment and then his face broke out in to a grin. He nearly shoved Scorpius as he marched over to the wall opposite the windows, innocently painted yellow and covered with photographs of the numerous relatives belonging to the Potter, Weasley, Longbottom, Scamander families and others that looked like student groups and organizations.

"_Specialis Revelio_," James incanted, grinning even wider as what had appeared to be a yellow wall suddenly turned into a great, threadbare tapestry with the picture frames hanging up over some of the names and dates.

**The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black**

Although the crest was not nearly as familiar as his own familial emblem or the one he wore as apart of his uniform, it was certainly recognizable: a skull, a hand raising a rapier, and three ravens.

"It's magic," James bragged.

"I should hope," Scorpius replied wryly.

James rolled his eyes. "You have to touch it." He said and impatiently grabbed Scorpius's wrist. It felt like the threads in the tapestry raised themselves up and slid inside the lines of his thumb and then gold threads began to crawl downward a few feet away from his hand. James released him and pointed proudly to where a portrait of Scorpius's face had appeared. "We're on here too," James was still talking as he seized Scorpius again and wheeled him to where the smiling faces of the Potter family resided. "I would have put the Weasley family up here too, but it doesn't react to where the threads have been burned off."

"Burned off?" Scorpius asked, intrigued despite himself.

James jabbed his own thumb, pointing towards the face of WALBURGA BLACK. "She was Sirius Black's mum, Dad's godfather. A crazy old hag who believed in blood purity and all that rot…you don't believe in blood purity, do you?"

Scorpius shook his head. "Wizard is wizard."

James gave him an almost _approving_ look. "Albus said…that you are a Seer. Is that true?"

Scorpius shrugged, and half-remembering that first meeting, he commented casually. "That's how I beat you. On the Hogwarts Express my first time. You were playing gobstones against students for their candy change."

Scorpius!" Albus called out, rushing into the room as James's mouth dropped open. "Good to see you, but grab your coat, let's go."

Scorpius barely had time to smirk back at James's still stunned face before Albus was whisking him down the stairs. Clattering from the Potters' kitchen rose up as they pulled on scarves. "I need to get out of the house. James pretends that he need to practice his spellwork for the O.W.L.s and Lily's annoying and Mum's ready to blow…Dad said we can wander around muggle London. You've never been, have you?" A flurry of snowflakes coated them as Albus shut the door to Grimmauld Place number twelve behind them and they treaded carefully down the steps, ready to grab at the railings to avoid ice.

"What is there even to do in the muggle world?" Scorpius asked as they shoveled their way past muggles and the weather. "We can't do magic and I don't understand anything in Muggle Studies!"

"I'm talking you to the Apple Market," Albus said cheerfully, whistling into the wind.

"Muggles sell apples for a living?" Scorpius asked bewildered as he stared about. Despite the snow, the muggles had set up tents and little stands alongside the walkways, calling out like Diagon Alley buskers, not a single one selling apples.

"Scarves! All colors and styles, just ten euros! Would you like one, to match your friend's?"

"Henna tattoos!"

"Sunglasses, huge selection! We sell bags and purses too!"

"Come in and have your fortune told!"

"Stop and try our fish and chips!"

The man in front of them was singing, strumming away on his guitar, the case open in front of him had money spilling out. Scorpius grabbed Albus, who had stopped to listen, rummaging in his coat pocket for change to take him back. "Scorpius, I wanted to listen!"

"There's a fortune teller!" Scorpius exclaimed, searching the stalls for the sign. **_IMOGENE'S INNER EYE-eight pounds per reading. _**"There she is!"

Imogene was a tall, thin woman, wearing a very long, patterned yellow skirt and had on a headband around her forehead like something a hippie or Native American might have worn. _Or a witch in disguise among muggles! _Scorpius thought eagerly. Her red hair was long and lay straggly but she smiled toothily at them. "Welcome! Would the two of you want a palm reading, your horoscope, a tarot card reading, numerology—"

"Horoscope," Albus said as Scorpius chose "Tarot."

"Sixteen pounds please," she said, still smiling, her hand now outstretched.

Albus handed her enough change for himself but Scorpius glanced nervously down towards his pocket. He didn't even know what the exchange rate was, let alone a Gringotts goblin on hand to exchange it for euros. "Al," he whispered. "Do you have enough _muggle_ money on you?" He lowered his voice on the word 'muggle' so Imogene wouldn't overhear. Not that he wasn't sure she was a muggle—surely a fortune teller or whatever muggles called their Seers would have to really be a witch in disguise, right? Albus sighed and chipped in Scorpius's fee.

Imogene grabbed his wrist. "One at a time," she said and she pulled Albus into the tent. Scorpius tried to peek into the tent for a cauldron or a wand sticking out, but she dropped the curtain between them.

Scorpius stood there, looking about at all the muggles enjoying their day. The guitar guy finished his song and the crowd burst into applause.

"Don't waste your money on her." Scorpius heard her before he saw her. They were teenage girls, both older than himself, maybe fifteen, he guessed. The first had on a dress with tights and boots despite the cold, and she had a round face, a mole on the exact center of her chin and dark hair grown long except for the fringe. But it was the second girl who had spoken: she had pale blonde hair and dark eyebrows, her right eyebrow pierced. "Imogene's just an expensive fraud. I bet she got that liscene she's always trying to shove under my nose from the internet."

Scorpius had no idea what the internet was, but clearly this was something the other muggle girl had heard many times before. "Vee, you can't save everyone. Let a fool lose his money. Or better yet, let them spend it on you."

"She's a thorn in my side, Michelle! Besides, this one's just a kid."

"I'm thi—fourteen." Scorpius lied, adding a few days to his actual age. "Imogene isn't a fortune teller?"

The curtain opened then and Albus came out. "Scorpius! Would you believe it, I'm going to have a lucky month for finance, starting on the eighth when Jupiter moves into the house—"

"I told you they were fools," Michelle muttered as Imogene came out, still smiling until she saw the girls.

"You!" She snarled. "Stop scaring my customers off, or I'll call the officals on you."

"They are my customers now," the second girl told her off, grabbing Albus's horoscope chart from him and ripping it in half. "Give them back their money, _Isla Jean_. They'll need it to pay me."

Imogene, or _Isla Jean_ slapped a handful of euros into Scorpius's hand and then the two girls grabbed them, Vee tugging Albus and Michelle pulling Scorpius after them and they ran off, not stopping until they burst into another stall.

"Sorry about that," the girl said, letting go of him. "Isla's a bitch. She calls herself Imogene and then tries to hawk all this new-age stuff like feng shui and astrology, but anyone could read the same thing from a website or in the horoscope section of a magazine."

"She's got a few chakras blocked up her arse," Michelle said crudely.

"Where are we now?" Albus asked, looking disappointed.

"Where we sell our stuff," Michelle said proudly. "We make our own candles, sell cheap trinkets, we knit on request and when Vee is feeling it, she does her own fortune telling."

"Dave, Michelle's boyfriend helps us run it." Vee said, extending a hand. "I'm Veronica. What are your names?"

The two of them exchanged glances. Names like Scorpius and Albus were all fine and good in the wizarding world, but even Scorpius had realized that most muggleborns had names like _Daniel_ and _Madison_. "Al," Albus introduced them, "and this is…"

"Didn't you call him Scorpion when you came out?" Michelle said as she put her feet up on the table.

"That's just a nickname," Scorpius said quickly. "A joke. It's Steve."

"Nice to meet you, Al and Steve," Michelle said as she picked up a guitar to strum. Veronica shook their hands. When she touched Scorpius's hand, he felt it, like a small buzzing. He blinked and saw things flashing but when he opened his eyes, everything was normal.

"Electric shock," Veronica explained, taking his hand again to shake, this time normal. But her smile had twisted into a look of concentration.

"You've got that look on your face, Vee." Michelle commented as Albus started wandering around the tiny stall, checking out the candles and knitted things and trickets.

Veronica pushed Michelle's feet off the table, clearing it off and sitting down behind it. "Steve, I think I should...just come over and sit down." She indicated to the other chair. After a moment to realize that he was 'Steve', Scorpius complied.

"What's your Third Eye saying?" Michelle asked, sitting up with interest. "I told you wearing that necklace would help!"

Veronica pulled out a necklace from underneath her clothes. It was a thin bronze chain with light blue beads dangling and a large Egyptian eye charm. She let it lay flat and she patted it absentmindedly. "I've been having dreams lately."

"You always have dreams," Michelle commented, but Scorpius realized.

"Dreams?"

Veronica locked eyes with him. "Do you have dreams too?"

"Yeah," Scorpius stuttered. "Nightmares, usually."

"When I dream, I'm standing before a door with someone. He's going to go inside, but I have to stay behind, so I give him something."

"What's inside?" Albus asked.

There was a loud explosion of music emanating from the corner. Michelle swiftly pulled a small object no bigger than his tarot deck from her pocket and the music stopped.

"Dave, where are you?" She complained. "Yeah, we'll be there for dinner, we just got two customers in right now. Talk to you later."

"Dave?" Veronica asked pointlessly.

"Yeah. We're going out; we're supposed to be there in ten minutes." Michelle said, putting the guitar back into its case.

"We'll go," Albus said, nudging him. "Thanks for saving us from false fortunes."

"No problem, fools." Michelle said.

But Scorpius frowned. "We should pay you for your time, at least. We still have twelve euros that she gave us back."

"You are welcome to buy something," Michelle suggested. "Candles, incense, knitting, trinkets…do you want a piercing?"

Scorpius shuffled quickly over to the trinkets, his fingers jumbling through them. They came in silvers and bronzes, golds and brass, celtic knots, Egyptian symbols, crosses, yin-yang, dragons and unicorns and phoenixes, hearts, twine and chains.

"How about this one?"

Veronica held it out to him, the chain dangling from her fingers and he took it, examining the necklace. It was bronze like the Ravenclaw eagle and the pendant was a star imprinted on a circle, the metal warming in his hand. "How much?" Scorpius asked, holding out the handful of euros. Veronica took some of them out of his hand.

"Take a business card too," Michelle offered, handing them both the small cards on their way out. Scorpius started to read it as he walked out of the tent.

**THE HASSEL**

Candles, Incense, Knitted good, House Decorations and Jewelry

_Owned and Run by: **Michelle Anderson** and **Veronica Terry**_

**_._**

"Draco! Asteria dear…and this must be Scorpius. He's all I hear about from Zaneeta." Mrs. Selwyn simpered as she ran a hand down his arm. Dad offered his arm to Mum and Mrs. Selywen's mouth tightened and snatched her arm (dripping with emeralds; probably fake ones) away.

"Thank you Pansy," Dad said smoothly. "Have the Zabinis arrived yet?"

Scorpius slipped past Mrs. Selwyn into the ballroom which was hardly the size of the drawing room, but with the clusters of people dressed in their finest of the year, it seemed crowded almost. Self-consciously, he pulled at his dress shirt underneath. At least he was a wizard and could wear robes over top…

"Hello Scorpius," a tiny voice whimpered. Another one squeaked "Hi."

He turned and inclined his head towards the two girls, both of them Slytherins and younger, dressed up and the redhead had her hair teased into fat curls. _Mafalda. Mafalda Weasley? That's not right. But she's their cousin, isn't she?_ The other girl, Amaryllis Selwyn, Scorpius recognized mainly because she looked rather like her older sister.

"Ladies, young Mr. Malfoy," Mr. Nott greeted them. "How have your school years been?"

Scorpius stayed to talk, enjoying how it turned into just one-on-one and the girls ran off, clearly determined to catch him later. For awhile, Scorpius stood alongside the wall, watching the adults simper and small talk with one another. A few started to dance: Mrs. Selwyn, for being a recent widow, danced quite a few times, he noticed.

"You must be Draco Malfoy's son," another well-meaning adult remarked. He was dark-skinned, and thin-faced, dressed exceedingly well in garnet robes. Scorpius nodded and waited for the "_How old are you?" _and "_Slytherin?"_

"Scorpius." The man added, half-musing. "Draco said you were thirteen now and in Ravenclaw. Not quite what I was expecting. You could be his spitting image…" the man trailed off and looked a bit amused. "Except the chin. Pure Asteria, that is."

Scorpius cleared his throat. Perhaps it was the faint lighting and droning music that was making his head ache. "You seem to know more about me than I of you, Mr…?"

"Blaise Zabini," he said curtly. "Your father was just telling my friend about you. He mentioned—"

"Excuse me," Scorpius interrupted and he fled, stumbling by the time he reached the doors.

_Dark streets in winter, even the snow didn't look so white here—the hoods fell off—Elora's face looked distraught still over what they had heard but Scorpius was too fixated on the tarot cards still—"Elora!" He cried out, stopping dead, pulling them off to the side of the alley. "I know what it meant! You're the Queen of Clubs!" And then someone else spoke from behind them. "Stupefy."  
_

When the vision finally stopped, he looked up, letting out a slow sigh. It was only then that he realized that his hand hurt: he had grabbed on to the necklace, the one he got from Veronica, mid-vision; the star was imprinted in his palm.

He stood back up, brushed his hands off on his robes and slowly started back to the ballroom where he could hopefully apologize (or come up with a sufficient lie) for Mr. Zabini.

"Hello Scorpius."

He startled badly—but recovered quickly. Once he landed, he spun and snapped "_Expellarmious!_" With a red jet of light, he saw her fall over, the wand clatter to the ground. He was at her side and offering a hand almost immediately. "I'm sorry," Scorpius apologized, holding up her wand.

Zaneeta Selwyn gingerly took his hand and they lifted her back on to her heels, which stuck out beneath her icy lavender robes. "Thank you. Are you avoiding my sister or my mother?"

Scorpius blinked at her callousness but kept his tone neutal. "Oh, neither, I just needed—"

"Do you want to take a walk?"

Scorpius was cut off, but he found he didn't care. "Where to?"

She started off. And he followed her until she chose to sit down on the staircase. He sat down next to her, unsure of what they were doing. They were far enough away so he couldn't hear the laughter conversing, but the music floated out after them.

"Have you seen Maximilian Zane? Aren't you two now seeing each other—you could be dancing with him."

Zaneeta bit her lip; Scorpius could see where the traces of lipstick had rubbed off. "Scorpius, you're a Ravenclaw, maybe you'll be smarter about these things. It's New Year's Eve. Do you realize what happens when the clock strikes midnight?"

"It's no longer 2019?" He suggested.

"Everybody kisses each other." Zaneeta informed him. "And if I…kiss him, he'll have to stop being so obtuse, won't he?"

"Sure?"

"But I've never kissed before." He realized she was trembling before she leaned forward and closed her eyes like she was diving deep.

It was short and light. The thought that they were kissing barely registered before she pulled away and stood up. "Thank you Scorpius." Zaneeta said briskly. "It's almost twelve, I should go find him. I suggest you stay here."

"Wh—why?" He stammered. _Is there lipstick on me?_

She waved a hand towards him carelessly. "Amaryllis and Mafalda Prewett will be looking for you. And I can't be very well saving you when I'm kissing Max."And she flounced off, leaving him on the stairs still when the New Year rang in and the lyrics of Auld Lang Syne sang out._"Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?"_

* * *

**YEAH! I got into Pottermore! **

**I'm heading back to school soon. So much for I'll have this done by the end of spring/end of summer. I HAVE been writing, I promise, just other things. I'll find my way back to this eventually, I just need the proper boost to get me to finish!  
**


	17. The Third Eye Adviser

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 17: The Third Eye Adviser

* * *

There was the clicking of beaks and wheels on the track.

"What's his name, Scorpius?" Rose asked, poking her fingers through the cage. The snowy owl actually _preened_ for her, puffing out his chest.

"He doesn't have one. You name him; he's yours now anyway. Happy Birthday." Just like that, Scorpius had successfully re-adopted his parents' birthday present/sympathy gift.

Rose nodded, pleased, now stroking the white feathers. "Thank you, then. Al? What should I name him?"

Albus started, rustling his newspaper a bit. _SQUIB BIRTH RATES ON THE RISE!_ The headlines declared. "You always say I have terrible taste in names." He didn't bother to come out from behind pages one through eight.

"You do, but at least you can think of them," said Rose. "Elora?"

Elora didn't answer, tossing a small ball back and forth as Tomcat hissed, impatiently waiting for his mistress to throw it to him again.

"You know, Elora," Scorpius needled her. "Have you ever considered that he isn't a Kneazle? He could be half-dog."

Elora scowled and threw the ball down to the pet. Scorpius kept going with it. "It would explain his fondness for biting and playing fetch, wouldn't it?"

"Don't be pathetic," Rose retorted. "Tomcat doesn't bite…he scratches and claws."

"Leave Tomcat out of this," Elora warned them. "Go back to finding a name for the owl."

"Name him Dagonet."

"Dagonet?" said Rose thoughtfully. "Dagonet. Where is that from?"

Now Albus really did stick his head out from behind the paper. "It's from Dubvessa's class. Did any of you do your reading over break?"

"What are you so interested in reading, Albus?" Scorpius asked as Rose guiltily pulled out her books, settling down to read next to Dagonet. "Squib birth rates usually aren't so engrossing as that."

"The society column," Albus replied. His voice was muffled behind the newspaper again, but it sounded winsome. _Winsome_ was not a good adjective to associate with a Slytherin—Scorpius grabbed for the paper, almost ripping it.

**_Mysteries in the Malfoy family_**

By Pansy Selwyn

_A recent party gave me the opportunity to catch up with some of the older darlings of the wizarding world. Draco Malfoy, accompanied by his wife, were enjoying themselves after what they toasted to as an "even more prosperous new year than what we already have". Intrigued?As was I. Mrs. Malfoy, who works as an Oblivator for the Ministry, and Mr. Malfoy, an expert in the repair of enchanted objects, while quite respectable in England, are hardly the financial wizards as, say, Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. In fact, as I later discovered that night, their prosperity was more sentimental than financial. Their son, Scorpius Malfoy—_

Scorpius Malfoy let out a small groan, too quiet to mask Albus's smirk in the corner. _Three years, and the bloke's got a better 'I'm a Malfoy' smirk than me. _"Mother's not an Oblivator, she is a Mnemo-Technician," he said savagely, but Albus kept smirking. "How bad is it?"

Albus took the paper, folding it exquisitely. "Well, everyone who reads the society column or knows someone who does will know you're a third year Ravenclaw at Hogwarts, you have excellent grades, and you're a recently discovered Seer."

"She didn't say anything about—" Scorpius cut himself off. _Thank you, Zaneeta. _

"About not making the Quidditch team? Sorry," Albus said, taking the opportunity to pull the paper back open. "And I quote, '_It appears that despite his looks, young Mr. Malfoy may have inherited less from from his father's family, as Draco was a superior Quidditch player in his day.'_ It could be worse. She could have said that you were born with a Dark Mark birthmark."

.

"Welcome back," Professor Thomas said to them. Usually, her morning greetings were instrumental in calming down a chattering class but there was silence to the point of impatience today. The Ravenclaws had practically run down the Slytherins in their hurry to get out of Herbology.

"Wands out—and quills." A groan rang out and she held up a hand. "Oh, no, none of that now. Look, I know you're all excited to tackle your boggarts, but I don't believe in making you suffer embarrassment as well as fear. We'll go one by one, alphabetical order and while you wait, you can start on your homework. Alain?"

Alain Bewley swallowed, snatched up his wand and followed Professor Thomas into the backroom. Immediately after the door shut, Rose swung in her seat, drawing her knees up to fit more comfortably towards Scorpius.

"Teddy said that you were invited to the wedding!"

Scorpius nodded along with her enthusiasm. "Right, it's going to be over Easter break…and it's at the burrow?"

"The Burrow," Rose corrected. "It's my grandparents' home, Granddad and Grandmum Weasley. Just outside Ottery St. Catchpole. It's more or less everyone's second home in the Weasley family. Albus and I have a room to ourselves, it used to be my Dad's and Uncle Harry would stay there with him during the summers, but now it's ours. We'll have to show it to you and teach you the combination."

"Rose…I know I've asked before, but it seems every time I turn, there's another cousin of yours showing up and you're not all redheads anymore either. How _big_ is this house?"

She grinned, which he was grateful for. "The house isn't that huge. When we're all together, it's more of a cramped cosy."

"How cramped—?"

She regarded him. "Let's put it this way. We give a whole new meaning to the term 'stair-step siblings'. Except we're cousins, of course."

"Scorpius?" It was that Hufflepuff, Duncan Macmillian, who looked almost greyish beneath the dark red hair. "It's your turn," he said feebly.

Scorpius grabbed his wand and headed to the backroom, glancing back to see Duncan sinking into his seat and Rose interviewing him.

"Shut the door," Professor Thomas instructed him and he did so. "Good…" She studied him, with a pleased expression. "This shouldn't be too bad, I don't think. You are remarkably promising. Try the incantation once, and then we'll get out the boggart for real. Do you remember it from last semester?"

Scorpius brandished his wand—"_Riddikulus_!"

"Are you ready?" Professor Thomas, her voice dropping, sounded more serious than her usual bubbling tones.

"I guess. Let's do it," said Scorpius, sounding louder.

"Do you know what it might be?"

_Not really. _"A basilisk?"

She shivered appropriately. "Just remember the trick, to make it funny. Ready?"

He nodded. She clapped his shoulder once and then she pointed her wand towards a pink wheeled traveling case that he hadn't noticed before. It clicked and the lid snapped open.

It seemed completely impossible. The truck was maybe a foot high, unless it was magical to fit a long ways down, like that one trunk his Dad fixed up once, but she was stepping out of the trunk, smoothly, like a snake sliding over sand. What really seemed completely impossible was _who. _

She lifted her wand—**_his_** wand, he recognized. Scorpius opened his mouth to protest, no incantation could save him if she had his wand—"**_Avada Kedarva!_**" Bellatrix Lestrange shrieked.

Scorpius didn't even see the flash of green light, it all went black too quickly.

.

The first thing he saw was a pair of deep blue eyes staring at him in worry and felt was a hand over his forehead, a warm hand except for the wedding band. "You're all right." With a sigh of relief, Professor Thomas helped Scorpius into a sitting position.

"I'm not dead," he croaked, trying to reason it out. "I…I had another vision. I saw her again, Lestrange. I'm sorry, just give me a minute and then I'll deal with the boggart."

"Scorpius, you're not dead." Professor Thomas encouraged him, handing him a bar of chocolate. "Eat that first. And you didn't have a vision. I think that was the vision coming _real_."

"Coming what?"

"Your boggart is Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Oh."

Nothing else really needed to be said. Scorpius struggled to swallow his chocolate past the lump in his throat.

"I think…I think it's time I justifiably got more involved," said Professor Thomas carefully. "Before, all the staff could do was report these episodes, but now it could affect your class performance. Have your parents found someone to work with you yet? I understand your mother knows plenty of professionals in dealing with the brain and memories, but those knowing how to work with Seers are rare and I do know one."

"I don't know, you'd have to get in touch with them," Scorpius said shortly, brushing his hands off on his pants. He stood up and walked out past the class.

As a consequence, he was the first one in Potions. The Ravenclaws eyed him in confusion and the Gryffindors with indifference, except for Elora, who joined him at their table. "How are you?" she asked, starting up a fire beneath the cauldron. Scorpius grunted, chopping his porcupine quills violently, denting the table. "Sorry I asked."

Lunch, Ancient Runes and Charms was no better. Scorpius's hands were shaking so badly that he mis-spelled _Eihwas_ as _Ehwas_. And there was still Divination to get through.

Scorpius spent Charms debating if he should swallow his pride and one of the Skiving Snackboxes to get out of it. Simply skipping was not acceptable for a Ravenclaw. But instead, his headache was doomed to be induced naturally by her heavily perfumed fumes. In fact, Scorpius thought his symptoms had started in early when he got to class and already couldn't believe his eyes.

"Rose?" he asked blankly, staring at her. Surely, Rose Weasley was not sitting in his seat in Trelawney's Divination class?

"Hello Scorpius!" She said cheerfully. "I meant to tell you this morning, but then…"

"Class, as you surely remember my predicting, our second newest class member has joined us. Let us all welcome Rose Granger," Professor Trelawney declared loudly overhead, extending her arms so the shawls started to slide off her spindly arms.

"My name is Rose Weasley," Rose tried to object as Scorpius sat down on a pouf next to her.

"What are you doing here?" Scorpius asked. Trelawney had launched into a monologue and ignored them, so Rose turned back to him.

"I want to learn more about Divination."

"_Rose…_"

"Well, _your_ divination. I'm being a good friend, aren't I? Learning about something you are suddenly capable of doing."

"I'm not capable of it. It is capable of using me, that's all," he hissed back at her. "Give me your hand."

"Excuse me?"

"We're doing palmistry still. At least make it look like we're doing it."

"You already read my palm," she muttered but let him take her hand and hold it. "Did you have fun with Albus?"

"With Albus?"

"Over Christmas. He told me that he took you through London and you met those Muggles."

"Oh yeah. I bought this." He showed her the pendant hanging around his neck. With her other hand, she touched it, letting the chain slide through her fingers. "They weren't real fortune tellers though, just Muggles. This is really magical though."

He let go of her hand to dig through her knapsack for the Tarot deck and passed it to her. She fanned the cards out like children playing a card trick and indulging her, he drew a few cards.

The first card was of a woman tied up like a medieval witch to be burned at the stake, except she was surrounded by swords, eight of them, he counted.

"The eight of spades," he said absent-minded.

"The ten of clubs?" Rose questioned as they flipped over the second. She flipped over the last card and they fell silent. It was identical to the first card—except upside down.

"Is that possible?"

Without a word to her, he grabbed the deck and spread it out all over—but they were the same. He flipped them back and forth but the rest of the deck had that same blank background on the front as the back.

"Well," he said, trying not sound as unnerved as he felt. "They are magic. And old. Maybe the enchantment's wearing off."

The clinking and chiming of her baubles warned him and Scorpius hastily scooped up the cards, tossed them into his bag and grabbed Rose's hand before Professor Trelawney reached their table. "Scorpius…I received an owl before class. Your first meeting with your third eye advisor will be this Saturday after lunch, here in the tower."

"Thanks," he said uncertainly as she clapped her hands (her bangles bashed together) and released them from class.

Rose followed him down the stairs. Her curiosity was so strong that a bloodhound would have been able to follow its scent.

"I'll ask my father if he can fix the cards over Easter break," Scorpius told her off. "There's no point practicing until then if the reading won't be accurate."

"Scorpius!"

At the bottom of the stairs was Jocasta, smiling up at him. Her fingers fluttered on her bag's strap as he hurried down, almost stumbling.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Scorpius, who is this?"

He turned, and there was Rose, standing on the step behind him still, looking curiously to Jocasta.

"Rose, Jocasta Thurkell. Jocasta, Rose; Rose Weasley."

"It's nice to meet you," Jocasta said. "I don't suppose I could talk to you for a minute, Scorpius?"

"Sure," he said, glancing back at Rose quickly before Jocasta pulled him aside down the corridor.

"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"Yeah—what?"

She emitted a noise of frustration. "You, me, go to Hogsmeade together? Yes, no, maybe?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "Um, yes. When?"

"This weekend," Jocasta said with a burst of enthusiasm he wouldn't have believed possible.

"This weekend…oh no. No."

"No?"

"I can't…" he groaned. "Next time, maybe?"

"Maybe," She said finally and hurried off. He looked after her, thinking to himself _nice going, Scorp._ Jocasta was...she's pretty. And he just turned her down to meet his "Third Eye Advisor", as Albus suggested.

.

Scorpius didn't remember anything else that happened that day and ended up sleeping in Saturday morning after spending Friday night re-reading the notes on how the Round Table established an era of peace between Muggles and wizards and that the sky was currently entering the house of Mercury. Scorpius waited a full half-hour, resting his cheek against the ice-sweating glass and bird-watching. Or more accurately, egg-watching. A nest had been made on the window sill. Whereever the mother bird was, she was off, leaving her three eggs behind. They were blue-green with brown blotches, he noticed before glancing down and seeing the forest still bare branched.

Somewhere, Jocasta Thurkell was is Hogsmeade without him. It was just him and his copy of _Oedipus Rex_. He was re-reading it again, the part where King Oedipus calls the Seer in. Professor Dubvessa had told him about the Seer and how the Muggles believed the Gods had changed the Seer's gender into a woman and back again for telling them what they didn't want to hear.

When the trapdoor slid open, he pulled away and settled upright as laughing female voices floated up and a beautiful, darkly golden woman climbed up. She was followed by Professor Thomas, who was talking now. "Padma, I'm … —Scorpius!" she finished abruptly, noticing him in the corner. "I didn't realize you'd be early, but I suppose you could start early as well," Professor Thomas suggested and the other woman nodded.

"That will be fine," she said, her voice low and soft. Everything about her was dark; black hair with tiny gold highlights woven throughout, dark gold skin, warm and glowing eyes. Those eyes gazed at him now and Scorpius felt his trepidation returning.

"Padma, this is Scorpius Malfoy," Professor Thomas introduced him. "As I told you, he has shown an astounding aptitude for divination, has experienced strange omens that have caused him to pass out and has a Seer and several Occulemens and Legilimens in his family tree."

Professor Thomas turned back to Scorpius, her head tossing back her mane of gold hair. "Scorpius, this is Madam Patil, an old friend of mine and a student of the unconscious. She has agreed to work with you and help you study your abilities."

It occurred then that he should say something, but nothing else would come to mind as something he could say. So Scorpius stayed quiet, eying the two women.

"I'll just leave you two then," Professor Thomas said quietly and she stepped down the trapdoor. Madam Patil stared at him for a moment longer alone.

"Are you mute to make up for your Seeing powers, Scorpius?" She asked, sounding amused.

"No, ma'am," Scorpius said quickly, shaking his head no.

She studied him for a moment more. "Your parents asked me to work with you, not the school, Scorpius. You can say whatever you want to me, and I won't tell the school."

"But you and Professor Thomas know each other."

She settled beside him, cross-legged. "Not as well as you might think. It was a coincidence really, if you believe in that sort of thing."

"I do." He said instantly.

"Name one, then."

"Er…" Scorpius paused. "I met a girl."

"Pretty girl?"

"**_No_**—she is, but she's too old for me. I meant, a _Muggle_ girl. She thinks she might be a Seer."

"Really?"

"Her name's Veronica. She has a business card and everything, I kept it right here." Scorpius pulled it out of his jacket pocket. "But Muggles aren't Seers, are they? They just pretend they're Muggles so they can work with them."

Madam Patil pocketed the card. "I'll keep a look-out for this Veronica of yours, Scorpius. It may have been fated that you two should meet, so she might discover her talents. Have you considered that?"

"I guess so. Maybe coincidences are fate without hindsight?"

She smiled, with a sphinx-like quality playing at her lips.

"And maybe Seeing without studying Divination is the future without the present." Madam Patil asserted. "Sit like me and we'll begin."

* * *

**I realize the time between chapters has been long, too long. Since then, I drove across the state to attend yet another funeral, then drove the other way across the state in the same week to start college again. I love college but my major=busy! I've already been in two shows, am assistant stage-managing one of our biggest productions and of course, have classwork. I also started taking the coursework for my Creative Writing minor, so I am focusing on original writing. **

**However, I want to finish this year up before I start working on Year 4. I had a burst of inspiration this morning and rattled off four more chapters. Expect more coming soon!**

**And as a special treat to my readers for their patience. I offer the title of the (release date too far ahead to be predicted, even by Scorpius) but still coming Year 4: _The Secrets of the Study_.**

**For those who might also read Tarot decks, Jo had Trelawney use spades and clubs, traditional regular playing card suits in her Tarot so I also used the same. Hearts (cups), Diamonds (pentacles), Clubs (wands) and Spades (swords)**.


	18. The Murder and the Marriage

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 18: The Murder and the Marriage

* * *

"Is working with Madam Patil actually helping you any?"

It was Friday afternoon in Divination class. Rose was still there, although Trelawney was reluctant to call her anything other than "Miss Granger" and surprisingly, it was almost enjoyable now that he shared the class with someone. She wasn't bad either—she correctly assumed that Scorpius's hands presupposed a straight headline proposed that he prefer to think logical and was happy to accept a practical view and ever since, Trelawney has for whatever reason, held a grudge against her and avoided their table all-together. He shrugged. "She has me do meditations a lot." He sipped at his tea. "And she gave me a blank book, she wants me to start a dream journal too. Madam Patil says that by focusing on the unconscious while I'm conscious, I'll learn to define the difference and notice it."

"She sounds a bit like Professor Thomas." Rose suggested, taking another drink. "And all her focus on what you are thinking instead of what you're seeing. Have you defeated your boggart yet?"

Scorpius shook his head.

"What is yours?"

"She's heading our way." Scorpius averted her, passing her his teacup.

"So what?" Rose asked, but softer toned.

"_So_…today is Friday the Thirteenth. You weren't here for the last one and it wasn't pretty."

Starting from the handle and going clockwise, Scorpius started searching for symbols. Tasseography was rather like a game of 'I spy' or 'find the differences' really.

"What have you found in Scorpius's teacup, Miss Granger? If you can't find anything, perhaps it's for the better today, only just today." Trelawaney inquired, looking over Rose's shoulder. Pleased that she was ignoring him again, he set down her teacup and smirked. She tossed her hair back, almost into Trelawney's face and began to list them off.

"Eyes, candle, a spider web and a star. A spider web is symbolic of fate, or being entangled. Stars are good, they are for hope and luck. A candle means illumination, sparks. Eyes, you have both of them, stand for enlightment, awareness, understanding but the funny thing about them is that they almost look like they're bleeding." Rose said, pointing out the bleeding eye tea leaves to him. Scorpius took the cup back.

"You forgot about the door," he said, pointing out how one blob looked like a door locked up. "And that's not a star, it's a bird—"

A _bird_. **_A black bird_**…

"Well, it is a pity, Miss Granger." Trelawney said, maddeningly. "Bleeding eyes, such a thing I've never heard of. Tears? For a terrible future lying ahead, maybe."

She sighed and drifted off to another table and he set down her teacup and glared once at Rose. She mouthed to him, "_Predict my future, oh wise Seer."_

"Not funny," he muttered. "Two more classes, Rose and we're done, gone, and free for the holidays." Scorpius glanced longingly out at the window beside him, where there was nothing to be seen except grey and windy skies and the little bird's nest still holding on tight to the ledge.

"How do you do that?" He complained. "I would think you're making all those symbols up, except Trelawney believes you!"

Rose peered over his shoulder, glancing at their professor. "She doesn't like me very much. And you'd think my hair would give it away that I'm a Weasley."

Scorpis barely refrained from pointing out that Rose's hair, red as it may be, was thick and sprawing with curls like her mother's; as he was distracted. With a shudder of the window, a Great Horned Owl smacked a black bird up against the glass; it slid helplessly down and in a little heap on the sill besides the nest, the owl started to savage it. Scorpius jumped up and threw the window open: the window sent both bird and nest sailing into the room as the owl hissed in surprise and flew off, disgruntled to have its meal interrupted. Another boy had to jump up to help him shut it. When he turned around, Rose was on the ground, holding eggs in her hand, the third one splattered on the carpet.

Trelawney was agape and sprouting something about his prophetic words but Scorpius couldn't pay attention to her as Rose dumped the remaining eggs in the basket and hurried to the trapdoor. Not knowing what else to do, Scorpius grabbed the dead black bird and followed her down the stairs.

"Lysander will know how to take care of them, I'll bring them to him," Rose was saying before she looked back at him. "What do you call a flock of blackbirds anyway?"

Scorpius lifted the dead bird gingerly. "A murder. A murder of ravens. You don't think Lysander could save the mother, or is it too late?"

Rose shrugged helplessly, taking the black bird in her arms too. "At the very least, he'll know how to take care of them. That owl…"

"Was probably someone's pet who's not being fed enough," Scorpius hazard. "You alright?"

Rose nodded. "Get my books for me please? I'll see you in Dubvessa's."

.

Rose arrived late as she slid in beside him but she nodded briefly to him as Professor Dubvessa continued over her entrance. "As we talked about before, muggles believe that Merlin lived backwards through time, knowing the future and surprised at the past, but wizard historians propose that he may have been a Seer, or that myth and legend has swirled around this era, obscuring truth and history. What we do know is that he was the one to bring Arthur to Sir Ector's family to be raised, re-appearing to begin his magical training at age eleven, the same age as when you enter Hogwarts. He was promoted to being **_King_** Arthur's adviser until his apprentice betrayed him. And so, this was the end of Merlin, buried alive inside rock, but also the end of muggle-wizard open harmony, sharing such knowledge. When we return to classes, we will discuss the rest of King Arthur's reign as well as how muggles and wizards separated and how they've intermingled since then." The bell rang from far off and she raised her eyebrow at them up over her tinted glasses, the class all poised on the edge of their seats. Professor Dubvessa shut the book. "And have a good break."

"Well?" Scorpius asked, capping his ink bottle. Rose gathered her Divination books, putting them back into her bag.

"Lysander said that they are common ravens and that the eggs need a bit more time before they're ready to hatch. He's taking them home with him and take care of them. He'll send an owl if they start to hatch, he thought we'd want to see." Rose said, looking a great deal happier than before. "Did you see Trelawney's face, she was just _gobsmacked_—what a Friday the thirteenth, eh? I'll send Accalon to you if they hatch early; otherwise, I'll see you at the wedding, won't I?"

Scorpius nodded, picking up his own bag. "Have a good Easter, Rose." He called out after her.

.

Scorpius was just tying his shoelaces when his mother appeared in the doorway. Her thick hair was still dyed dark brown, but looked every inch a Malfoy, as his grandmother would say. She had taken off her favorite pieces of jewelry so not to clash with her dress, except for a pair of sapphire earrings.

"You look well, Scorpius." His mother approved, moving closer to kiss the top of his head. "And much older. I doubt you'll be wearing those robes again, the way you grow. I won't be able to kiss you there anymore. You'll either be too tall or too embarrassed."

"Mum!" Scorpius protested.

Asteria Malfoy smiled. "Your grandmother's waiting for us downstairs to apparate. She's even leaving the dogs." Just as she said, Grandmother Narcissa was waiting in the entrance hall, unattended by the greyhounds, his grandfather's old walking stick in her hands, wearing robes of the murkiest purple. Underneath her hat with draped netting over her face, she cast a still-sharp eye over him and nodded, her back ramrod straight even without the help of the cane.

"Take my hand, Scorpius and hold tight," his mother cautioned. Then, his hand in her's, the Malfoys stepped forward and twisted into nothingness, a squeeze through time and space.

The first settled impression was a seagull overhead. And then the notion that he could feel the cold grittiness beneath his shoes.

They had appararated to a beach, which, judging by the balloons and banners and flowers, was the right place. His mother and grandmother exchanged acknowledgments and then they all stayed walking down the slope towards where a crowd of waiting guests waited beside a golden tent set up, the brightest sign on the still pale beach-side. Scorpius felt overlooked among the extravagance on display here. Between the French aristocrats, the guests who looked like they would be Teddy's friends and the bright rainbow of robes around him, hardly anyone looked twice at the Malfoys. Only he would have noticed Grandmother Narcissa peeking out beneath her netting at the other guests.

He almost sighed with relief when they made it to the front of the line and there was Albus. He and James and all who were probably his cousins were directing the guests, all in matching dress robes. At the presumably panicked look on his face, Albus came hurrying right over to them.

"Hello Mrs. Malfoy and Mrs. Malfoy, how do you do? Scorpius," Albus said, Slytherin sensibilities in place as usual.

"Grandmother, Mother, this is Albus Potter," Scorpius started to introduce them, in case they missed the unmistakable green eyes and dark hair.

Surprisingly, it was his grandmother who made the first move. She switched the cane to her other hand and then held her free hand out. Thankfully, Albus took it hardly skipping a beat. "Mr. Potter," she greeted him.

"You're looking well, Albus," his mother commented.

"Thank you ladies. Shall I help you find your seats?" Albus suggested, so debonair that Scorpius practically expected him to doff a top hat and take the cane from his grandmother.

Albus escorted them through the aisles to a row where only one woman was sitting. "Narcissa, Asteria, Scorpius and Albus." She greeted them. Granna Anna looked as fine as his grandmother, in a pale aquamarine robes, her grey hair swept up in a fancy twist beneath her hat.

"There you go," Albus said jauntily. "Enjoy the wedding!"

"Where are you sitting?" Scorpius asked, glancing around.

Albus grinned in a James-ish manner and cocked his thumb back over his shoulder. "I'm in the wedding party. All of the cousins are. Once we're done getting everyone seated and we get the girls away from the mirrors, we'll start everything. But we'll come sit with you at the party afterwards, Elora, Rose and me." He waved and hurried back.

True to Albus's word, it took quite a while for everyone to be seated. Scorpius grew quickly bored of listening to Granna Anna and Grandmother Narcissa chit-chatting and started to count how many witches were wearing hats. Elora waved to him before the Longbottoms shuffled into their seats a few rows behind. He caught Teddy's eye once, he shifting from one foot on to the other, looking as if he might start hopping in place if not for Harry Potter's hand on his shoulder. Despite the obvious nerves that not even metamorphaguses could replace, Teddy looked good and for once, _natural_ even. The only unnatural color about him was the turquoise dress robes he wore.

And then everything grew quiet and hushed—Scorpius squirmed, glancing behind him until then appeared a couple at the end of the aisle.

They were too small to be the bride and groom. At first, he thought they must be last-minute guests until they kept coming down the aisle together and then another pair followed them. The girls wore white trimmed with turquoise dresses and the boys in black matched robes. Grandmother made an approving noise in her throat. "Calla lilies. How lovely. Of course, it's not traditional for any woman to be wearing white except the bride."

Granna Anna whispered back wryly. "Victoire is anything but traditional, Cissy. She's marrying my grandson, after all."

The third pair he finally recognized as James and Rose. For once, James's hair had been combed neatly and it was clear why so many girls liked him, even in his own year and house. James Potter was tall and good-looking, even freckled as he was. Rose in heels was the same height as James; Scorpius had to think, as the two of them walked down the aisles. He had never seen her walk in heels before, but judging by how closely they walked together, James was keeping her steady as Albus and another Weasley cousin brought up the rear.

Then came another cousin he recognized—she was the Ravenclaw part-veela, the Seeker who had graduated last year and hadn't seen since. Dominique Weasley practically floated down the aisle, looking like a bride herself in a long, slim white dress and the flower girl (he almost laughed at the sight of her) in matching miniature followed her behind, Lily Luna tossing flower petals and Rose's brother in tow.

Then everyone in the wedding party had reached and arranged themselves and now Teddy and everyone else were waiting on only two people.

The sighs of older family members and her father carried her down the aisle. Victoire Weasley was always beautiful but today she was a sight. She was the only sun in the grey March sky today; her gown was golden and her smile beaming.

By the time Victoire and her father reached Teddy, his hair had changed to match his robes but his bride didn't seem to care.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls," the minister began. Scorpius didn't care to listen to his monologue until he realized how unusally brief it was—undoubtedly, another "untraditional" change made.

"Do you, Edward Remus Lupin, take Victoire Apolline to be your wife, the two of your brought together by love and made one by magic, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Teddy said to her. He had clasped Victoire's hands in his, her new ring undoubtedly digging into his palm, but neither of them pulled away. A few women were crying away in their seats during all this. Glancing at Granna Anna, he saw she too was crying, but quietly.

"And do you, Victoire Apolloine Weasley—"

"I do," she said simply, not even caring what terms she agreed to, as long as having Teddy was a condition.

"Then I declare you bonded for life. You may—"

Teddy and Victoire Lupin were already kissing, wand sparks falling around them, applause bursting from the audience.

* * *

**Long time no see! I've actually been away so long that the Document Manager on FF erased several chapters I had written...which I now have to re-write. I meant to have this out earlier but due to real life emergencies and my beta, who seems to have gone missing for a time now...better late than never, yes? And Teddy and Victoire's wedding! **


	19. Weasley vs Potter

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 19: Weasley versus Potter

* * *

"Just take them off."

Once the party got started, there were dozens of shoes lying abandoned in the sand.

And Albus was insisting he join in. "Even the girls left their heels here!" Albus pointed at them jutting out in the sand.

Scorpius stared mulishly at Albus, his shoelaces still firmly tied. "My grandmother will whack me with her cane."

"My Dad's an Auror, he'll get her for child abuse," Albus said lightly, barefoot, collar unbuttoned and his pants cuffed. "Seriously, Scorp."

When Scorpius's shoes still hadn't budged, Albus had to frown. "It's a beach. Sand between your toes? And a party! Let loose, live a little."

Settling for getting nowhere with Albus, Scorpius bent down and started to untie his shoes, pulling off his socks as Albus looked on approvingly. "That's the spirit," Albus chimed, as he linked arms with Scorpius. "Rose saved us a table, even put our names out on it.

They found them somewhere, sitting at a small table not quite fully underneath the circus-sized tent. Little name cards at every seat: _Scorpius Malfoy_ was placed between _Trevor Longbottom_ and _Amaris Scamander_. Elora was already sitting there next to Rose, who was still in her turquoise bridesmaid dress. Elora had her hair curled at the ends for the occasion and wore a green dress that brought her hazel eyes closer to that shade. As Scorpius slid into his seat, Rose gave him a rueful look.

"Thank Merlin _that's_ over with!" she exclaimed, slumping back into her seat.

Scorpius snuck a glance over at Teddy and Victoire, who seemed quite oblivious to all but themselves. "Was Victoire nervous and driving you mad?"

Rose laughed, taking a glance herself. "Victoire? If it was up to her, she would have eloped. Between Grandmum and Aunt Fleur it was like Muggles trying to play Quidditch. And surprisingly, Granna Anna was _worse_ than the both of them! I mean," Rose said, a bit more soberly as she drank some water in a glass. "She said that when she was married, she had to sneak into Hogsmeade and do it in a five minute ceremony and Teddy's mother just signed the certificate because it was during the war."

Behind him to the left somewhere, there was a jarring sound. Scorpius craned his neck, Elora half-rising out of her seat to see: Lily had taken to chinking her fork against the glass and started to call out, "Kiss! Kiss her, Teddy!" Others joined in until the groom took notice and obliged them.

"Teddy and Victoire have the first dance," Rose said. "Then we can have fun."

Soon enough, an old Weird Sisters song started playing as Victoire led Teddy out on to the space encircled by the tables, with enough room for dancing, couples gradually following them out. Albus vanished, suggesting drinks, and a guy asked Elora to dance, leaving Rose and Scorpius to start debating the ranking order.

"The Harpies aren't going to do better than sixth in the League."

"But the Tornadoes lost to them in their last match—260 to 20!"

"Doesn't matter," Rose retorted. "It's going to come down to the Wasps and the Arrows and—yes?"

Swiveling in his chair, Scorpius faced another one of the Weasley cousins from the ceremony. This one was one of James Potter's friends, he recognized. He was thin and tall, looking a lot like the bride, and was flashing a smile.

"Rosie," Louis grinned. "Come and dance with me. Pretty girl like you shouldn't be all alone!"

"I'm _not_ alone, Louis. What do you want?" Rose demanded, hands on her hips while seated still.

"An alibi," Louis replied and whisked her off the chair, twirling her into the crowd and leaving Scorpius alone at the table.

_Perhaps I should ask someone to dance_, Scorpius rationalized. But scanning around, he couldn't see any girls his age who might be interested. Elora was lost in the crowd of dancers and Rose was presumably involved in some Weasley antics. His mother and Grandmother Narcissa were nowhere to be seen either.

"Wasn't that thoughtful, they gave you your own seating!"

A familiar-looking woman, with the most unfamiliar outfit he had ever seen, settled into the empty chair beside him, the one for Amaris Scamander. She wore a wide-sleeved, mustard-colored velvet dress and held a swaddled baby who gurgled at him over her mother's shoulder, her eyes wide and owlish.

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized brightly to him. "I know this seat is reversed for Amaris but she's not quite got the hang of sitting up on her own yet." She patted the baby's back. "My name is Luna. How are you today, Stellen?"

Scorpius had to look around to see if anyone else was nearby, for this 'Stellen'. "My name is Scorpius."

"You looked like a Stellen to me," she replied serenely. "I don't think anyone should be named until they are properly introduced. Like Amaris Lupe," Luna said, referring to the baby trying to chew on her waist-length hair. I presumed I would name her Aurora, but she was born at night and inherited lycanthropy—names have power."

"You're Lorcan and Lysander's mother, aren't you?" Scorpius said, recognizing where they got that weird quality of being from. She nodded and started humming against the music.

"Scorp!" Albus called out as he carried an armful of drinks with him. "Have one on me, mate."

Scorpius raised his butterbeer drolly. "Cheers then."

The rest of the wedding went on long through the night: he (briefly) met Elora's brother, who spent most of the evening with the bridesmaids and with a firewhiskey in hand. The maid of honor got absolutely smashing drunk and Scorpius couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit vindictive after she had trained Ravenclaw a Seeker pre-tryouts. And that Mafalda Prewett, who for whatever reason had been invited, caught the bride's bouquet, but the garter toss was interrupted by the "spontaneous" explosion of the wedding cake, sending sparklers high, reflecting off the waves, the frosting coming back down to splatter on the guests.

"ALBUS SEVERUS! Get your arse out of bed!"

Scorpius bolted upright as Albus merely rolled over and mumbled nonsense in his sleep, lightly snoring away in the other twin bed. Scorpius blinked, the yeller outside the door seemed to be quiet for the moment, giving him time to remember that he had slept over at the Potters' in Albus's room, as did the Scamander twins in his brother's and the Prewett girls, Mafalada and Mathilde with Lily Luna.

The door swung open wildly, colliding with the postered wall of Barny the Fruitbat. James Potter, fully dressed in a Gryffindor sweatshirt but his hair uncombed, chucked a pair of brooms at Scorpius.

"Get Albus up." He ordered. "It's game time."

"Well, whenever we get enough of the family together, we plan the re-match."

"The re-match?"

Albus yawned widely as they trudged back behind the Burrow, to the playing field. "Team Weasley versus Team Potter, to decide who is superior on broomstick. The losers always demand another game."

"When was the first?"

Up ahead, James called back to them. "Since 1999."

In the orchard, the fourteen of them divided up automatically, except for Scorpius who was pulled by the back of his collar by James on to his side. "You're playing for Teddy. Team, fall in."

"Positions?" Scorpius managed to ask. James pointed them out.

"Me and Al as Beaters, Lorcan, Mathilde and Lily will work as the Chasers, Lysander will hold them off the goals and you will be Seeking. Got any problems with that?"

"No," Scorpius replied as Team Weasley met them in the center of the field. Rose grinned at him, in a _we're going to crush you_ kind of way.

Despite Captain James' efforts to rally his teammates, it was a loss. Mathilde Prewett (who was Mafalda's younger sister, he was informed, although she was nice) hadn't ever flown before and Lorcan started to drift instead of chase. Lysander was just hapless and then Roxanne Weasley knocked Al off his broom. James took both of the beaters' bats in hand to try and redeemed them but Dominique soared past Scorpius and took the Snitch, a victory for Team Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley was waiting at the door for them, a pitcher in her hand and the wand sticking out of her apron pocket. "Lunch is waiting," she said, crisply. She bobbed a bit, counting heads and ushering them all in, although she gave a pause at his white-blond hair. There was a platter of sandwiches waiting, all quickly snatched up as Mrs. Weasley pushed glasses of lemonade into hands, one eye on the pies cooling in the corner.

"Thank you," Scorpius said, accepting the cup from her. She smiled, although her lips were a bit fluttery as she leaned in automatically to wipe a leaf from his hair.

"It's no trouble," she said quite simply, as if it was as obvious as Christmas coming on December twenty-fifth ever year.

Somewhere in the mass of cousins, Albus and Rose found him and led him away, up a dizzying flight of stairs to a room that bore an ancient brass plate reading RONALD's ROOM. Ronald had once lived in a small, low-ceiling room with an expressed love for the color orange and hoarded a collection of vintage _Martin Miggs the Mad Muggle. _

"So, is that all your cousins then?" Scorpius asked, going for casual as he took a bit from a biscuit. "If I can name them all by relation, age and house do I get my own sweater for Christmas?"

"We'll see if Grandma Molly can squeeze in a few needles to make you mittens." Albus said completely straightfaced. Both Scorpius and Rose choked on their biscuits, albeit for different reasons. Rose was laughing and trying to swallow while Scorpius was gagging from a badly-timed intake of breath. Albus took a moment to realize that both of them were choking before he pulled out his wand and released them with an "_Apaneo_!" Rose's wheezing subsided and Scorpius finally got his brain to connect with his tongue.

"Your grandmother. She—the little old lady with the knitting needles and the glasses of milk—making us pies and biscuits—_she's Molly Weasley?_"

"The one and only," Albus said, immediately correcting himself. "Er, the first and one of two. Yes, our grandmother. The other one is our cousin. Why the face?"

Scorpius buried his hands in his hair, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I thought she was dead."

A small silence. "Uh, no. She's alive, last time I checked."

"She killed Bellatrix Lestrange, my great-aunt. I just always thought that Molly Weasley died doing it. Or was younger. I don't know."

Albus let the moment slide, introducing his Chocolate Frog collection to Scorpius who pretended that he had never seen Albus's pride and joy, and listened to him go on about his prized finds until there was a shouting from downstairs.

"OI! Send on down the malevolent Malfoy, his mummy's here!"

Scorpius scrambled to his feet, almost slipping on the candy wrappers and thudding down the stairs, Albus and Rose following, slightly alarmed at his haste. Louis Weasley was at the bottom of the stairs and sneered as Roxanne laughed behind him. The living room was thankfully empty but he could hear his mother's voice from the kitchen.

"It's so funny, to think of all the times I was near by as a child and I never met your children!" She was saying, fiddling with her gloves. "But thank you for having Scorpius over, Mrs. Weasley. I'm sure he had a splendid time, I hope it wasn't a bother for you…"

"Not at all!" Mrs. Molly Weasley assured her. "Scorpius was—there you are, dear."

"We'll be heading back now, Scorpius." His mother said, straightening the buttons on her coat. "One last day home before you head back to school."

Scorpius pulled on his shoes and followed Mum out the door, glancing back at Albus and Rose, who had taken up to sitting on the table and mockingly warbling along to a Celestina Warbeck song on the radio puttering besides them. He had never heard the song before, but he couldn't help but try humming along. "_I'll throw in some rose thorns, some of my moonstones and when it's ready, come and take a drink._ _Oh, come and stir my cauldron and if you do it right—_"

"How are those friends of yours?"

"Hello Anastasia." Scorpius greeted her as he tucked his head under the bed, feeling around underneath. He came up with a spare sock and a textbook, _A History of Magic_. "Albus is great. His house is mad, but brilliant. Kind of like Rose really. And now Teddy and Victoire are married and off honeymooning in Canada."

She would have scowled had she no manners but she settled for a haughty sniff. "A werewolf halfblood and a _Veela_."

"Only part Veela," he corrected. "And Teddy's a metamorphagus too."

"I pity the children."

"So rude." He told her off, tossing the book into his trunk. It missed, falling on to the bed. She crossed her arms. "You're talking to me again, I notice. Remembered that I'm going back to school tomorrow?"

"You know the future, Scorpius Hyperion. You tell me, sir," Anastasia replied drolly.

He dumped his cauldron in with the rest of his belongings. "I'm going back to Hogwarts. I'll finish top of my year, play for Ravenclaw in the Quidditch Cup, beat my boggart and maybe I'll learn to speak Parseltongue. _Hiss_."

She had an ugly look on her face, her nose pinched. He couldn't help but feel pleased. "You mocked me."

"You offended me," he corrected her. "The Malfoys and Blacks…we did some shit things in the past. But I'm a Seer now. I can change our futures for the better."

"Insolent!" She tried threatening. She puffed up, but her flimsy existence was of no use. Scorpius had no interest in complacing her anyways anymore.

"I'm not going to be nice just so you'll be too. Since I'm the only person who talks to you anyways, unless you introduce yourself to Peter Pettigrew?"

"The rat man? He's been gone before you were born."

"He's hanging out in the dungeon as a ghost. Sounds like you have a lot in common."

At that, Anastasia vanished, swelling into invisibility. For all he knew, she just might be sulking in the corner or she might have really taken offense and left, but he assumed he was safe and pulled out a notebook from his trunk. It was a hard navy leather creased book, all the pages blank. Madam Patil had given it to him early on but he had only looked at the empty pages within so far.

He was right. If he was a Seer—then if he wanted to change the future, he had to know what it was. He pulled out the small scrap of paper he had been keeping in his pocket, notes written by Professor Thomas in her pretty printing, and he started with that.

* * *

**Happy World Cup weekend! The 5th annual...and the first my team has gone to. :D Not me, unfortunately, we could only afford a small number of players, but for being the underdog team, we kicked ass. Made it to the semi-finals! But Middlebury took the Cup for the 5th time. I was hoping for a miracle there, but no luck this year. Next year though!**

**Consider this your treat. Thanks to all fans of Harry Potter for all we've done!**


	20. An Unkindness

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 20: An Unkindness

* * *

Scorpius escaped Muggle Studies as quickly as possible, Professor Figg barking afterwards about their essays due about Muggle life post-World War II. He hurried out of there with the intent of getting to Transfiguration. Now that Teddy Lupin was off for the rest of the year, the third years speculated among themselves who would be their teacher.

"We've had a ghost, a vampire, werewolf, a mad woman as a Seer…I reckon it's time we had a nymph," Christine Nelthrope said.

"My money's holding out for Harry Potter," said Johanna Boot. Albus came up beside them then, the Slytherin girls passing them and rolling their eyes.

"Sorry to disappoint," said Albus. "The only Potter in your Transfiguration class is me."

The door to the Transfiguration classroom was shut still, the glass a bleary ripple, the new professor unable to be made out. The third years exchanged signifigant glances and Zaneeta Selwyn twisted the door knob open. The professor looked up. He had a square jaw and broad shoulders, a familiar face indeed.

"Well, sit down. We've got lots of practical material to cover before the end of term."

Scorpius stopped short at the sight of him. Professor McLaggen simply nodded, clapped his hands together and herded them in, shutting the door. "I understand that by midway through your third year in this subject, you should have a basic understanding of object to object and animal to object transformation. Before we can move on to animal-animal, and in the more advanced studies, human transfiguration, there is the difficulty of mastering object to animal. Can anyone explain why this is more complicated than animate to inanimate?

By now, the Ravenclaws and Slytherins had settled into their desks and Scorpius was setting out his quill. Albus beside him immediately raised his hand. Although Scorpius knew the Ravenclaws and most of the Slytherins could answer, no one bothered to lift a finger. Albus was the master of Transfiguration in their year and no one was about to contest it.

"Because rather than simply changing the physical qualities, you must also imbue the transfigured with the mental abilities as well." Albus answered without waiting to be called on.

"A point to Slytherin," Professsor McLaggen said. "Essentially, what Mr. Potter was answering for us, for Mr. Boot in the back to write down in his notes, was that we have to provide the newly changed animal with a soul. Of course, entirely animate transfigurations come with a soul but this is where we learn to deal with them, or else come fifth year, you'll be turning pigs into dead cats." Scorpius wrote furiously to keep up. "Can anyone name a particular kind of animal transfiguration?"

A Slytherin on Scorpius's left raised his hand. "Lycanthropy."

The class rose to a chatter. Fabian was right, wasn't a werewolf transformation considering human to animal? No, some of them argued back, it was involuntary—how dare you be racist? Anything to block out the professor's reaction.

Professor McLaggen cleared his throat. "That will do." The class quieted and he nodded, rubbing his jawline in Fabian Eglamour's direction. "I'm afraid that is incorrect. Lycanthropy is considered a curse by definition and something you'll cover in Defense Against the Dark Arts but not in this classroom. I can assure you, however, that living as a werewolf has improved their standards of living immensely over the last thirty year and is considered a curse only by how it is contracted and the actual transformation itself. Anyone else have a guess?"

Jocasta, who was sitting a few rows in front of them, raised her hand, bravely. "Animagus."

"Or in plural, Animagi. Correct Miss Thurkell, another point to Slytherin."

.

A week of classes and extra homework from each class only drove home the fact that final exams were only six weeks—five weeks now—away. Scorpius contemplated the amount of work piled up in his dormitory: reading more about King Arthur's reign, a Cheering Charm to practice, a report on a famous Animagus and a boggart of Bellatrix Lestrange to defeat.

Not even in his dreams could he escape the work he returned to from the Easter holidays. Instead, Scorpius found himself writing them down every morning in his journal, about himself washing his hands in the Great Lake, with a little bar of soap and wiping them off on the Giant Squid. Professor Dubvessa and Veronica had been riding Cyrene the sea serpent and waved to him.

"And the Giant Squid?" Madam Patil questioned, looking up at him. "No, I don't see anything particular prohectic about it. The star is a nice detail but I think this is just an ordinary dream. You do still have those. Was there any others you wanted me to look through?"

"I just thought…because it was a star on my hands and there was Veronica again." Scorpius said absently. They were almost done with another one of their weekly sessions and he was exausated. Between the homework and the lengthy mediation they held at the beginning, he was ready for an early night in.

"A star?" Madam Patil flipped back a page. That was one thing he really liked about her, was that she was conscious only to read the pages he marked, leaving the rest of his dreams private. She said she wanted him to learn the difference if a dream was signifigant. "You mark the dreams you want me to read with a star, is that why the connection?"

"What does a star mean in dreams?" Scorpius asked, remembering the red imprint on his palm in that particular dream, the five points thin and bright.

"What does it mean to you?"

Scorpius shrugged, closing his fingers over his palm, remembering the shape of his tarot cards. "A star is like the only bit of light in the dark, right? A tiny spot of hope."

"Fate, wishes, fame, hope, light, guide, dreams." Madam Patil continued.

"I thought it might be because of this pendant," Scorpius answered, pulling it out from under his collar by the chain and over his head. "I bought it from Veronica." He added. "Have you seen her yet?"

_Is she a Seer too?_ Was what he wanted to ask but Madam Patil was studying the little bronze star in a circle charm too intently.

"Is this what was on your hand in the dream?"

"Not exactly, but it reminded me of it when I was writing it."

Madam Patil returned it to him and with her other hand, unclipped a hair ornament and handed it to him too. Scorpius accepted it hesitantly. It was large and ornate, an extravagant butterfly made out of thin metal.

"It was my sister, Parvati's." Madam Patil explained quietly. "I keep it to remind me of her. I use it as an amulet now."

"Amulet? Does it have powers?"

She smiled at she took it back and pinned her hair. "No…it's more of a reminder. It's something I'm so accustomed to, that I know so well, and it's infused with so much thought that if I should come across any trace of it in a dream, that all of this I've put into it comes crashing and it hits me and…many times, I become lucid within my dreams because of this technique."

She tapped his pendant, still in his hand. "This might work for you. But it isn't a star, Scorpius. It's actually a pentacle. When you go to bed tonight, try mediating on this while you are falling asleep and try to recognize it once you see it."

Scorpius returned to Ravenclaw Tower, yawning all the way up the stairs. He was tired after this week away and all things considered, his bed sounded absolutely divine, never mind Madam Patil's suggestion tonight.

What he was not prepared for was Lorcan Scamander in the middle of the night, pulling him out of the bed.

"It's time!" Lorcan said rather exuberantly. "Lysander's waiting for us in the common room."

Sure enough, Rose and the other Scamander twin were there, holding a makeshift nest in his hands. It was comprised of bread crusts, scraps of fabric, twigs, leaves and fur all knitted together. Inside, were the two eggs he and Rose had saved that day in Divination.

Rose was still in her blue pajamas, and she still shivered. "They're hatching," she said, giddy with delight. Soon, bit by bit. Little beaks peaked through the cracks and patches of the eggshell broke off. It was rather slimy and quick and then two jet-black baby birds were sitting there yelping and looking straight at him.

"Congratulations, Scorpius." Lysander announced, looking rather pleased with himself. "They've imprinted."

"Im-what?"

"They think they found their mother."

Scorpius poked a finger at them, one of the small ravens tried to grasp for it. "Can't they tell I'm not female?"

"They also cannot tell that your finger isn't food." Lorcan suggested, pulling his hand out of the way. "Lysander and Hagrid made a formula they can take. We'll help you but they'll want you around, Scorpius."

"Great," Scorpius said half-heartedly, looking down at them. "I've always wanted my own murder of ravens."

"It's an unkindess, actually," said Lysander as he prepared an eyedropper. "Here, gently try feeding them."

Scorpius took the eyedropper and offered it to them, squeezing the formula down their little mouths. "They're not bad."

They weren't bad. Except for the few hours later when the two of them would start squalling, begging, crying out to be fed. This went on for the next three days of utter exausation, even with the lot of them doing shifts: Scorpius, Lorcan, Lysander, Rose, Albus, Elora, Lily and Hugo and Scorpius was still dead tired and only still standing in class right now because Albus had come to make sure that he had his shoes on this time.

"That concludes," Professor Sinistra finished, "the end. Next class, you will see the stars have successfully glided into the twelfth house. Judging by the number of yawns tonight, I suggest you all head straight to bed. Good morning."

That was Sinistra's custom—if anything, she was more vampiric than Dubvessa. Yawning, Scorpius finished putting away his telescope and he and Albus made their way towards the stairs. The ravens would be waiting for another feeding.

"I hate astronomy," Albus murmumed.

"She's your head of house."

"Not that she treats us any better," said Albus.

"Scorpius?"

He recognized her voice before he turned around. "Jocasta."

Despite the late hour, she looked fresh. "I'd thought I'd just…ask again."

"Ask me what?"

"This Saturday is the next Hogsmeade trip."

She waited expectantly for his exausated brain to catch up. "Umm…I'll meet you there?"

She nodded, smiling. "I'll be outside Honeydukes then. See you."

.

Scorpius silently agonized over what they were exactly going to do the entire carriage ride over. One time, he wished he told Jocasta he had to stay and take care of the birds but Lysander was watching them already today and Lorcan had done both of their shifts last night so he could sleep in even. When the horseless-coaches stopped in the village to let the students loose, Scorpius trudged through the mud, wanting to hurry but at the same time, letting his cloak drag slowly behind him.

But then he actually saw Jocasta Thurkell, wearing that same mustard colored cardigan from last fall with her school scarf, her hair swept back into a ponytail. She was standing outside of Honeydukes, looking eager as he came out of the crowd towards her.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello," Scorpius replied.

They stood there, looking at each other and then glancing away, students jostling past them to get in and out of the candy shop.

"Do you want to go in?" Scorpius finally asked her. Jocasta checked into the shop window behind her and smiled at him.

"Sure," she said, stepping towards the door. Scorpius followed her in, mentally berating himself.

_Should you have held her hand? Or is that too 'couple-y'? Is Honeydukes alright, or should I have taken her to that tea shop Davies took his girlfriend to?_

Jocasta seemed alright and at ease here with the chocolates and him. She told him that her favorites were Fizzing Whizzbees and they talked about various chocolate frog collections.

"My parents took me the Chocolate Frog Card Museum once when I was nine. Cards by the hundreds on every wall. But I think Al's got the better collection. He keeps them in a binder and he's got probably a thousand from Morgana to Xavier Rastrick." Scorpius told her. She moved along the displays, stopping to admire the Bertie Botts' Every Flavored Beans (Scorpius tried to keep his distance here).

"I remember my first Bertie Botts Bean," she said, eyeing the display set up. "It was on Halloween, our first year here and a second year Slytherin thought he'd be funny and get me to eat one. It was cat food flavored!" she grimaced and Scorpius laughed siddling up along besides her.

"I was six and it was in a multi-muggle flavored package, one of those short time promotionals. My father tasted it afterwards and said the flavor was called 'battery'." Scorpius retold before he glanced back at her, and saw her frowning.

"Muggles don't eat batteries!" Jocasta protested, the weary tone to her voice surprised him. "The charge could kill us and they're not _food_."

"I didn't say they were," Scorpius said, bemused. "Did you really never have a Bertie Botts Every Flavored Bean until you were eleven?"

It was as if Jocasta had been electrified, her voice crackling. "There are no Bertie Botts or battery flavored food in the Muggle world!"

"I know that!" Scorpius said loudly over her, as two fifth years glanced their way, looking irritated. "Being pureblood and Slytherin doesn't make us stupid." Now the electricity flowing through her seemed to have shocked Jocasta. "Just because I'm in Ravenclaw doesn't mean that I'm not Slytherin enough," he told her. "We have to stick together, prove all of them that they are wrong about us—"

That was when Jocasta turned on her heel, immediately banging into the Bertie Botts display and sending beans sailing to the floor and underfoot as she made her dramatic exit. Scorpius's exit was no less dramatic, but much less dignified as he was running from Mr. Flume, who was shouting about banning Scorpius from the shop.

It was Albus who caught Scorpius by his elbow, pulling him into the Three Broomsticks and into a chair near the door. Albus settled back into his seat, taking a gulp of butterbeer, before he bothered to say anything. "Bit of a short date. What did you do?"

"I don't know."

"It's always the bloke's fault, you must have done something. What happened then?"

Scorpius shrugged as Albus took another drink. "We were in Honeydukes, we were laughing, we were talking and then we got up to the Bertie Botts display and she said there were no Bertie Botts in the muggle world and that she never had one until she was eleven—What did I**_ do?_** _All_ I said was that just because we might be pureblood or in Slytherin, that doesn't make us stupid."

Albus nearly spewed his drink out, but as it was, he managed to swallow, choking a bit. "You _prat_, Scorpius! You great, blundering, pathetic bloke, that's what you are—**_stupid_** indeed—"

"What?"

Albus stopped his ranting for a moment to breathe and look Scorpius straight into the eye. "Jocasta's family is muggle. **_Idiot!_**"

"But—but Thurkell—that's, Thurkell's a pureblood name." Scorpius stammered. "She's in Slytherin!"

"So?" Albus inquired, taking another drink. "I'm not a pureblood."

"You know what I mean. Wizard. Not muggle." Scorpius grasped for a defense, coming up with only, "I didn't know."

.

Since he still had the rest of Saturday left bird-free, Scorpius left Albus at the Three Broomsticks and headed back up to the Defense classroom, locked, but the door could be jiggled loose. Professor Thomas had promised them they could use the classroom for Patronus practice whenever the room was available, after all. He shut the door behind him and raised his wand to the innocuous looking trunk, except for a demoralizing rattle of the lock. "_Alohamora_." The boggart leapt from the trunk, too quickly for his eye to comprehend its form as the shadow turned to black swirling robes and the demonic woman wearing them.

Scorpius exhaled a shaky breath, still pointing his wand. How could she ever be taken down, ever become a joke, something laughable? Not even knowing the kindly old woman Mrs. Weasley had become, knitting Christmas sweaters, was a humorous thought, knowing how deadly of a fight that must have been. Bellatrix Lestrange laughed again. She was just as wicked and absolutely terrifying as his father had said, smoothly sliding a wand out from her robes, curling her tongue as she brandished it. She had been Voldemort's right hand servant, even more so than his own family. She was the same woman from his dream with the dragon. And she was about to kill him again.

Then the door jiggled behind him. Locked. "_Alohomora_." He heard a girl's voice issue the spell from behind the door. His eyes opened wide and looked to the door as it opened. There was a scream, wide hazel eyes and before his eyes, there was a flash of green light from Bellatrix's wand and Elora Longbottom lay dead upon the floor.

* * *

**Long time no chapter! Well, I hope everyone had a happy holiday season because I have a present for you: I'm going to finish this before the year is out. We don't have far left to go and not much left for me to write. So, no worries, the cliffhanger will be resolved soon!**


	21. The Twa Corbies

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 21: The Twa Corbies

* * *

It was the most impossible thing he had ever seen. His visions had shown him Bellatrix Lestrange and then Elora walking in on them, but this seemed infinitely more unbelievable.

Elora Longbottom was dead. Her face was chalky, drained of all blood, eyes lifeless and her hand was splayed out, a goblet rolling away, drips of potion falling on the floor. Standing over her was Elora, her face almost as bloodless, but her wand steady. "_Riddikulus_."

The Elora that lay lifeless on the floor blinked her eyes up at them and shakily sat up, reaching for the goblet. Holding it in her hand again, it refilled itself with a purple liquid, which the boggart of Elora drank and collapsed in a deathly faint again. The real Elora besides him shrugged helplessly. "My spellwork's weak, I came to get in some practice."

"Me too," Scorpius said, stepping forward. Immediately, the boggart changed forms again, back to Bellatrix, malevolent and menacing.

"Do it," she demanded, a weird dementia flickering behind her eyes. "Say it, let's kill her, Draco." Scorpius's wand slipped and he dropped for it, but then Bellatrix reached out and took Elora by the chin. "Go ahead and scream, Alice," she crooned as Elora gasped, a panicked look coming over her face. "Off with your head, are you?"

"Elora, she's not real!" Scorpius shouted, grabbing at Bellatrix's wrist. And before they could pull away, the boggart sank to the ground and became a Bertie Botts' Every Flavored Bean. It was peachy-salmon colored and did nothing. The two of them stared at it, Scorpius's hand still grabbing at thin air where Bellatrix's wrist had just been and Elora's hand were now at her face which slid to her mouth as laughter escaped them.

"A Bertie Botts' Every Flavored Bean!" Scorpius shouted as Elora managed to gasp between giggles. "They're disgusting." Elora wheezed. "**_Bleck!_**"

"You hate them too?"

The two of them stared at the candy, which looked innocent there. "I wonder what flavor it is."

"I'm _not _eating that." Scorpius leaned over and picked it up, chucking it back into the trunk and clicking the padlock shut.

"Who was she? Your boggart."

Scorpius felt doom in the pit of his stomach, his voice came out unnaturally high. "My aunt. _Great_-aunt. It was Bellatrix Lestrange."

Elora sat down at the desk beside him, her blonde hair falling free from its tie over his shoulder. "Scorpius," Elora said gently. "She's dead. She can't hurt anyone."

"Yes, she does." Scorpius argued, anger rising over any despair he might have felt. "She might be dead, but I'm sure Teddy Lupin is still hurting, he never knew his parents. My dad's got a Dark Mark because of her and my grandmother's a wreck. Elora, she was the one who attacked your grandparents, she's why they're insane!" Elora stared at him. Sometime, in the midst of his shouting they had stood up to face each off.

"They're dead now." Elora said soberly, scuffing the floor with her shoe. "My grandmother Alice died before I was born. I remember going in to see my grandfather though, at St. Mungos. It was awful. Mum said once that after she died, he lost all the will to do anything. She said that he liked me as a kiddy though, always wanting to hold me, liked hearing my middle name. But he died too."

"What is supposed to be funny about a monster like her?" Scorpius asked softly.

"That's your problem then?" Elora caught on. "I watched you do the spell. You say the words right, move your wand, but you're not telling it what you want it to do. Not like me, I'm just rubbish at Defense."

"That's not true," Scorpius argued, sliding his wand between his fingers. "You're _thorough_; you put it all together but you forget to just…act. _Flipendo!_" With a dash of orange sparks Elora leapt almost three feet across the room, wand un-used, clutched in her fist; his spell upended the desk. Scorpius grinned as she regained her balance, staring back at him.

"What was that?" She railed. "You tried to jinx me!"

"I was trying to make you react!" He encouraged, stumbling back to his feet and collecting his wand. "You focus too much on what's supposed to happen. Sometimes, you have to go with your intuition, be instinctive, Elora."

.

"Use your intuition, Scorpius."

Scorpius glared at Madam Patil, who looked back at him, as placid as a lotus.

"Scorpius, this is not difficult. It's not even Seeing. It's self-association. I say white, you say snow." She picked up his journal, rifling through it. "This dream for example." She read it out loud.

_"I was standing on a street curb and it was raining. I wore a raincoat, rainboots, had a hat on and carried an umbrella. Jocasta was standing in the middle of the road and she was dancing, wearing muggle clothes, no coat and her shoes muddy. She wanted me to come and join her but I stayed where I was. I told her that my rabbit's foot said I couldn't"_

"But that's not a prophetic dream. It's ordinary." Scorpius protested. _And private_, he thought to himself.

"Is it? What does it mean to you?" Scorpius was silent and Madam Patil smiled, reading it silently to herself again before she set his journal down between them. "I see that you are trying to protect yourself from things you can't control. That you're trying to cover up your feelings and that you are keeping the dirtiness out."

"She's not dirt!" Scorpius blurted out, all control lost. Madam Patil only smiled at him, in that so-irritating way.

"You're treating her like that. And you're using your abilities as your excuse for not changing."

"But," Scorpius questioned. "You keep telling me that I can't change the future."

"No." she agreed. "Nor the past. The only thing we can do is the present."

Scorpius looked up at her then and caught the smile in a grin that made Padma Patil look years younger and nothing like the woman by Mr. Zabini's side.

"That wasn't a prophetic dream."

"Not unless you do something about it." Madam Patil agreed with him. "Everyone has dreams, Scorpius. You just happen to be better at connecting them to see the future. Now explain this one to your psyche."

Scorpius took his journal back, open to the page she indicated but he didn't read it. "What would happen if I didn't? If I ignored any visions and just lived my way how I wanted to, I mean."

Madam Patil sighed and set down her tea cup. "Interesting question. If you were to say, ignore them, you'd live maybe blissfully but in complete ignorance and with a certain lack of control. You'd be prone to loss of unconsciousness, terrible dreams that tend to linger, and you'd say things you didn't understand. That's how you started in the beginning, when the Seer in you fully emerged. And if you were to keep all that bottled up…" She trailed off and shook her head. "I had Professor Trelawney for a teacher in my school days too. She was like that. Prophecies sprouted out of her and she'd see omens everywhere. But when she started seeing the bad things, she kept them to herself. I understand she had a tendency towards alcohol to counter it."

She looked away from him, around the Divination room, with a sort of pity. "If you learn this, Scorpius, you'll have control of your body and mind again, but you'll have control over your life. Now, translate the meaning of that dream for me and then your tea will be cooled."

.

There it was again. Grumbling furiously to himself, he threw the covers off and glared up at the canopy of his bed, where an old bird cage was hung. They made that noise again.

"Alright, alright!" Scorpius snapped, taking the cage down. Inside Pluto's old cage, was the nest and the baby ravens wanting more food. For such scrawny things they had hatched, they did nothing but eat to the point where Hagrid's supply and anything they could take from the Great Hall would only just satisfy them. They were noisy about it too—Lorcan and Rose had to figure out a tricky sort of spellwork to keep the noise confined to the cage and Scorpius's bed, so not to disturb the other boys.

He carried the cage down to the common room, where Lorcan was already prepared for them. He was waiting with little squeezers full of milk and plenty bits of meat besides. Scorpius settled in beside him and opened the cage, passing one over. They were virtually identical, all black, although the slightly larger one was in Lorcan's hands. Lorcan hummed a bit while he started in on their feeding routine.

Scorpius started to follow the humming along, but not recognizing the melody. "What is it?"

Lorcan looked up through his glasses, looking green through the glasses' tint. "It's an old folksong. Scottish. It's called _The Twa Corbies_."

"_The Twa Corbies_?" Scorpius stumbled over the accent. He was accustomed to hearing it, but it was still foreign to his tongue. "What's a corbie? And twa?"

"Corbie's just another word for raven. Twa, twa is two. The Two Ravens, it doesn't sound nearly the same though."

"Could you sing it?"

Lorcan's humming rose into words. The ravens quieted under his voice, a bit high-pitched and with a tremor it was:

"_As I was walking all alane,_

_I heard twa corbies making a mane;_

_The tane unto the t'other say,_

_"Where sall we gang and dine today?"_

_"In behint yon auld fail dyke,_

_I wot there lies a new slain knight;_

_And naebody kens that he lies there,_

_But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair._

_"His hound is to the hunting gane,_

_His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,_

_His lady's ta'en another mate,_

_So we may mak our dinner sweet._

_"Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,_

_And I'll pike out his bonny blue een;_

_Wi' ae lock o' his gowden hair_

_We'll theek our nest when it grows bare._

_"Mony a one for him makes mane,_

_But nane sall ken where he is gane;_

_O'er his white banes, when they are bare,_

_The wind sall blaw for evermair."_

.

At the next D.A. meeting, Professor Longbottom looked surprised to see his daughter and Scorpius partnered up, but chose to comment elsewhere.

"Elora, Scorpius, you're supposed to be learning _Indepedimenta_, what are you doing?"

"Some basics, Dad." Elora responded, not even looking away, as she brandished her wand. "It was Scorpius's idea."

"Actually, it was Scorpius's idea and my work," Professor Thomas interrupted. "But go on, Mr. Malfoy."

Scorpius raised his wand, a momentary truce. "I realized that we're having the opposite problem with our wandwork, Professor. I usually just go with my instincts that I don't have refined control and Elora—"she nodded—"Elora doesn't use her instincts."

"I suggested that they try an exercise, for Scorpius to really focus on what spells he is using and Elora is defending herself with whatever comes to mind." Professor Thomas commented.

They went at it for awhile, shooting jinxes and counter-jinxes back and forth. There wasn't much time for him to hesitate between thoughts and casting, so Scorpius stuck to his basic spells, although the force installed in them were much more effective than the first year material he was working with. Elora, on the other hand, was really using every spell she could think of, including color-changing charms and now—"_Wingardium Levosia_!" She said, pointing her wand to him.

Immediately, his feet left the ground and he understood why. Just even a few inches threw his perspective off when casting, ungrounded as he was. As long as she was concentrating, he would keep floating and it would be even harder…he grinned. This would be fun. He twirled his wand through his fingers, taking care to aim for her face. "_Mucus ad Nauseam_!" She raised her other hand to her nose, trying to stifle it but she involuntarily sneezed. Her eyes closed, her chest heaved with the force of the Curse of the Bogies, rapidly sneezing, a bit of snot drizzling. Scorpius fell out of the air, a good two feet down, and he rolled back up, grabbing his wand and finishing her off. "_Glacius_."

A streak of white appeared before him, the cold whistling from his wand and attacked Elora's face, freezing her stiff where she stood. The bogies and ice had her frozen, but she wore a half-grin behind the ice.

It was after this, once Scorpius had extinguished the flames he had conjured to melt her and Elora's shirt still smelled of smoke that they were free to go, the older students already out the door and Scorpius saw Jocasta among them heading down to the dungeons.

"Hey," Scorpius called out, pushing his way through. One or two students may have tripped as he tucked his way back into his pocket and sprinted up to her. Her hair was up in a ponytail again and she still looked mad at him, but less as she stiffly nodded to him and continued to glare from there. "I just—I just wanted to say. Sorry." He pushed his hands further into his pockets. "I didn't mean to offend you. I shouldn't have said it anyways but I didn't realize that it was offensive at all. I've never even met a muggle. Well, I just did over the holidays, but I mean, I don't know anything about them."

Jocasta shrugged, her own hands in her pockets too. "It's okay, I guess. I'm just so sick of people thinking that I'm completely oblivious. I'm not stupid."

"You're not." Scorpius said quickly without thinking it first and was relieved to see her smile. "What do they think of us then? Muggles I mean, about wizards."

She almost hesitated and then it spilled out of her. "That we are wicked, have green skin, warts, fly on brooms with our familiars, melt if we touch water and if we marry a mortal—that's what they call themselves, we lose our powers."

Scorpius goggled at her for a moment, not sure if she was joking or not. "Right then. Do you want to try this again?"

"Another?"

"Another what?"

"You know…"

Scorpius cottoned on. "Da—next Hogsmeade trip?"

"Next Hogsmeade trip."

"Sure."

They left it at that, turning off to their separate ways, but she called after him. "Good night, Scorpius."

.

The next morning, he found himself in the middle of one of Professor Longbottom's lectures. "Don't be afraid! The Wild Rice enjoys a good soak. It's impossible to drown. Oh, watch it!" He snatched Zaneeta's hand back of the way. "It's called Wild Rice for a reason. Very hard to control. Rather like a teenager, it is." That's all they were doing for the entire class, was watering the quantity of the Wild Rice which was dull except with Professor Longbottom prowling around and stunning the Rice from escaping and the one time he hit Johanna Boot with the spell instead. Scorpius was not the only one running from the Greenhouse to Defense but he was sure he was the only one eager for the actual class.

As usual of late, Professor Thomas set them up writing essays on the meaning of their boggarts while she took students who had yet to defeat their boggarts into the back room. The numbers had been shrinking consistently all term so Scorpius was the second student in.

"Are you ready?" Professor Thomas asked kindly, her eyes still flitting to the trunk with worry. "I could work with you next DA meeting."

"Don't worry. I think I know what to do now." Scorpius said, pulling out his wand and pointing it to the trunk. Professor Thomas hesitated to open it, so Scorpius flicked the end of his wand. "_Alohamora._"

Bellatrix came at him, her high heeled boots first out of the trunk and then the rest of her. She flashed those deep-lidded eyes, laughed at the sight of him and twirled her wand, looking absolutely wicked. That was the last thing she ever did.

"_Riddikulus!_" Scorpius commanded.

Bellatrix's laugh turned into a weird cackle that she gagged on. Her hands flew to her throat in a green blur and her pale, skinny face sagged now, a wart popping up near her nose. Then she was dripping wet on the floor. She shrieked as the green skin and black robes started to slide off and she collapse into a puddle of melted witch on the ground.

Scorpius stared at the puddle, wand still up. This was just too _weird_. Behind him though, he heard a funny choking sound. He turned and saw Professor Thomas trying not to laugh.

"Whatever you do, don't laugh!" She ordered, struggling herself. "I can't laugh, I need the boggart still, but Merlin!" She wheezed. "I would have paid anything to see **_that_.**"

Then Bellatrix joined in laughing behind him. "What a wittle schoolboy, can't even pay attention to his wessons, now can't he?" She taunted, mimicking baby-talk as Scorpius spun in shock. He had dropped his concentration and the boggart was back, the puddle had reformed itself into her.

"Don't finish her off, Scorpius. Force her back into that trunk for the next student." He heard Professor Thomas caution. For a moment, Scorpius wanted to destroy her. He wanted to blast her out of the classroom, out of his family, out of the past. It couldn't be that hard, if a sweater-knitting, lemonade mixing granny, Mrs. Weasley could kill her.

"_Riddikulus!_" Scorpius said finally and he flicked the end of his wand.

Bellatrix screamed as knitting needles came flying at her out of nowhere. She turned and drove straight back into the trunk, shutting the lid behind her and the needles plunged into the trunk. Scorpius held his position as Professor Thomas hurried over and locked the trunk herself and then he let his arm drop and the needles vanished.

"That was fabulous!" She enthused and then she turned back to him. "Er, well-done, Mr. Malfoy. Fifteen points to Ravenclaw for the double-defeat of Boggart Bellatrix. Mr. Malfoy? Mr-Malf—"

"—Scorpius? Can you hear me Scorpius? Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Scorpius said, woozing a bit. "Yeah. I'm on the floor."

"You collapsed." Professor Thomas said, kneeling beside him. "Don't get up yet. You're exausated. Have some chocolate."

"Did I do too much magic?" Scorpius asked, accepting the chocolate without complaint.

"Scorpius," Professor Thomas started, looking at him with something akin to wonder. "You said a prophecy."


	22. A New Slain Knight

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 22: A New Slain Knight

* * *

It was an absurd sort of return to reality, leaving the classroom and entering the hallways where gossip ran afire.

"_Sick_?"

"That's what he said."

"But tomorrow!"

"They're not going to cancel it?"

"Who in their right minds would cancel a Quidditch game? The **_final_** game!"

"Who in their right mind would take themselves out of the last game?"

During his hurry to reach the dungeons, Scorpius deduced that sometime since after breakfast this morning, the news had broken out that someone on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team was unable to play—worse luck to them, the final game of the season was this very Saturday.

"Did you hear?" Miranda Avalon whispered over her pot of Shrinking Solution. "The Hufflepuff Quidditch team was caught taking more Felix Felices!"

Scorpius caught Elora rolling her eyes as she continued chopping daisy roots. The rumors were getting stranger by the sands falling in Professor Jigger's hourglass. Martin Goldstein mentioned hearing something about the Keeper getting bitten by a werewolf and then Aaraon topped it with his theory by saying that the Seeker had his head turned into a pumpkin. Scorpius left Potions class still not knowing what had happened to the Hufflepuff Quidditch team that caused such uproar.

Rose had headed off to her class before he had pieced this all together, but Scorpius doubted she was dropping out. Nevertheless, she looked posivitively grim when he saw her next during lunch time, outside by the training grounds. He and the Scamander twins hurried over to her, careful not to jostle the food or the ravens inside the picnic basket they brought.

"It's Molly." She said, looking dejected, ignoring the shepherd's pie they had brought her. "Madam Pomfrey's in there again and got her up in the Hospital Wing, she's not keeping anything down. We'll have to put up Duncan again."

"Can't they give her a potion for that though?" Scorpius asked.

Rose glumly picked up her fork and poked at the plate. "She'll need to keep taking doses of it until it clears. Even if it was a once-only thing, the nurse said that she'd be considered 'under the influence' for twenty-four hours and they won't let her play." She slowly chewed and her freckled face screwed up in distate. "I can't eat. Just feed it to the birds."

The Scamander twins carefully mashed the meal, offering bits of it to the ravens. "They're almost into the fledging state." Lysander announced, sounding like a pleased parent. "We'll have to help them figure out how flying works. Usually, the parents would. Any ideas Scorpius?"

Scorpius let out a slight groan that was surpressed as the larger raven hopped towards him. He offered it a piece. Despite the disturbance he had imagined they would bring, the incessant crowing and the every-two-hour feeding he and Lorcan were up for every night and he was grateful that he had learned to "_Scorguify_"; they were rather funny to watch. They would throw bits of their nest at people passing, steal his quills and eat his roommate's Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans and enjoyed them. The larger one came up to him, preening his neck under Scorpius's hand. He obliged the raven, scratching at the little feathers pushing through the baby skin.

Lorcan began to croon the song again. _"As I was walking all alane, I heard twa corbies making a mane; The tane unto the t'other say, "Where sall we gang and dine today?"_ Lysander looked up at him in surprise but obligling whistled along and Scorpius hestitantly joined in. _""In behint yon auld fail dyke, I wot there lies a new slain knight; And naebody kens that he lies there, But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair."_

"What's that?" Rose asked as she held the smaller one, stroking it like a pigeon.

"An old song our grandmother liked to sing about ravens." Lysander replied, breaking off his whistle. Lorcan dropped into humming again.

"What's it mean though?"

"Oh…I suppose it would translate to 'As I was walking all alone, I heard two corbies make a moan, The one said to the other, Where shall we go today to dine? Behind that old earthen dyke, I see there lies a new-slain knight, And nobody know that he lies there, But his hawk, his hound, and his lady fair." Lysander stuttered his way through. "It goes on to say that there's nobody left to mourn him, so the ravens eat the flesh and use the hair to make a nest."

"Gruesome." Rose said. "How does it really go again?"

"_As I was walking all alane, I heard twa corbies making a mane_;" Lorcan offered up. Scorpius and Rose tried taking up the melody and Lysander obliged them with his whistling again and eventually Lorcan was able to take up the harmony and let them stumble along without much assistance.

_"Mony a one for him makes mane, _

_But nane sall ken where he is gane;_

_O'er his white banes, when they are bare,_

_The wind sall blaw for evermair."_

.

"Gawain tried to persuade Arthur to wait for Lancelot's aid in the war against Mordred. With Lancelot at his side, Arthur could not lose. That night, Arthur had a dream of sitting on top of the wheel, where he encountered a girl. The girl informed Arthur that no other kings ever reached the height that Arthur had reached. The prize of reaching this height would be very high. The girl pushed the king down, where Arthur broke all his bones and awoke. When Arthur awoke, Sir Lancelot had still not arrived, afraid of showing his face in Camelot after his treachery so King Arthur arranged to meet with Mordred to make a treaty of peace. But during the treaty, a small snake slithered out—"

"Slytherin," someone muttered and Professor Dubvessa spoke even louder.

"And a knight drew his sword to kill it. Sensing betrayal, both sides attacked, going to war. When the field of green was now bloody and barren, Mordred was dead and the king grievously injured. His knights dead, only a small page boy was there to help him. Arthur commanded the boy to throw Excalibur in a nearby lake. Since the Lady of the Lake gave Excalibur to the king, he must now return the sword to the Lady of the Lake The page boy did not want to throw the sword, so he threw his own sword into the lake while he hid Excalibur. Arthur knew that he had disobeyed him when the boy saw nothing happened. He again ordered to throw Excalibur into the lake. The boy threw the sword into the middle of the lake. He witnessed a hand coming out of the water, catching Excalibur by the hilt before disappearing into the lake. When the boy returned to Arthur, and told the king what he saw. Arthur realized his life had come to an end and asked the boy to help him reach the lake. There, at the bottom of the hill, was a boat with four, including the king's sister, Morgana. The boy and Morgana helped the king into the boat and they sailed into the mist to Avalon."

Professor Dubvessa shut the book to the quiet class. A moment's peace between them and she finished the story. "It is said that when Lancelot heard, he rode to Guinevere's side, who grieved in the nunnery where she stayed since. They died together in their grief and were hence buried, with one place in between them for Arthur, should he ever return."

Underneath his desk, Scorpius fingered his tarot cards. He had shown them to Madam Patil and she advised that he ought to flip through them sometimes, see what cards he came up and practice figuring out the why. He pulled out a card at random, turned it over and was rather astonished to see _The Wheel of Fortune_ staring up at him. He almost raised his hand to ask whether Arthur Pendragon had been a Seer and then he remembered what Madam Patil had said in his last lesson. _"Everyone has dreams, Scorpius."_

"Wheel of Fortune. Luck. Promise. Future. Turning. Changing. Good. Bad. Blind. Sun, Moon and Ascendant. Rising sign." He muttered to himself, feeling a sense of rightness pass over and he stopped chanting to himself mentally. Rising sign.

"Would you like to say something Scorpius?"

He jerked himself out of his mental stupor and came up with only the Corbie song. "It…it reminds me of this Scottish song, about a new slain knight and the birds eat the flesh and nobody ever knows what happened to the body."

Professor Dubvessa eyed him. "Interesting point. Yes, Miranda?"

.

Saturday was all yellow and red, hooting and banners. For late April, it was a glorious day that most students, even in full House pride, took off their scarves and simply waved them overhead. The stands were so packed that Scorpius doubted anyone would miss him. The only person he had told was Albus, who accepted the task of bolstering up Rose's ego to the point of forgetting him with grace, as usual. Elora would ask but she could be put off. He had been offered use of the Invisibility Cloak, but he declined—he had brought his own inheritances along.

The cheers faded once he was within the trees. The dew had already dried off and the Forbidden Forest was actually bucolic, he noted. He hadn't come across any werewolves, enchanted cars, violent trees, strangely magical occurrences and he hadn't heard anything from the Banshee in months.

But he was no Hagrid. After half an hour of wandering, a centaur stood in his way. He was the older, grey centaur from before, with Firenze and Cyll. He had hard blue eyes and was waiting for an answer.

"I am Scorpius Hyperion," Scorpius said. "I am the boy Seer, the one who is just learning. I met you last winter. I have questions."

Nessus nodded, turned and allowed Scorpius to walk alongside his withers. "We would have not turned you away, even if you were not a Seer. So long as you are a Seeker."

"I'm not on the Quidditch team, but that's my favorite position."

"Not your silly games, foal; the _Seeker_. On a Fool's quest. The Querent."

"The Querent," Scorpius tried the word out. It was heavy on his tongue, full of secrets and tasted of smoke and starlight.

"The one who comes to seek guidance from the Hierophant, the sages. You come bearing the Hand of Glory."

Scorpius glanced down, the Hand of Glory, a gift from his Dad, firmly gripped, another hand in his hand, in case he needed light. "You know what this is?"

"A dead man's hand, leads the living man into the light and way." Nessus answered cryptically. "And you brought your map?"

"No, I'm not sure where you are going."

"The Cards." Nessus said pointedly. "Your human tricks of the trade, nonetheless effective. We are here."

It was a clearing. The sun was directly overhead (Scorpius's stomach grumbled), but he ignored it as more centaurs approached from the shadows on the other side. There was one centaur, the horse part all white with an ash-and-blond tail; one who was all dark brown and black, a familiar one, Firenze, accompanied by the grey colt he had met last time.

"Cyll!" He called out in remembering. Cyll managed a neigh, trotting up alongside.

"The colt?" Nessus asked, flicking his tail. The bay centaur shrugged and Firenze laid a slim hand on Cyll's shoulder.

"The colt is is already a yearling and growing into a stallion. His mother is Megara and he can learn with Scorpius Hyperion."

The other centaurs neighed in consent and all looked to him.

"I've had a prophecy." He said without preamble. "And at least one vision came true, more visions since then. Yesterday, in one of my classes, I came up with the words "rising sign"."

He had their full attention now. Even Cyll had stopped his trotting.

"Do you pay attention in Astronomy classes, Scorpius Hyperion?" Nessus asked abruptly.

"Yeah, I do. A rising sign is the the zodiac sign on the eastern horizon at a given time." Scorpius recited.

"But to the future, what meaning does it give?"

Scorpius didn't know. "We don't cover Astrology until fourth year." He said.

Cyll stretched up a hand eagerly. "It acts as a filter! It gives individual meaning and adds a secondary context to the zodiac sign."

"It does do that," the white centaur agreed. "and of late, we've been in a phase of Mars when one looks to the sky. But the night passes and Mars is weakened, is falling away. War becomes Jollity."

"Then what rises?"

The centaurs smiled. "Jupiter is rising, Scorpius Hyperion." Nessus answered. "War and the dead man has given way to raising up the earth, renewed and celebrating."

"But nobody has died yet." Scorpius argued. "I haven't heard from the Banshee since winter!"

"The Banshee?" Firenze asked, looking puzzled.

"I heard when I was in here last Halloween and again in December. But it's been quiet for months now and nobody's died since my owl."

Firenze laughed and half-whinnied at this, an old chuckle. The other centaurs snorted along with their Chief Elder, except Cyll, who had lost interest and was trying to catch a bird.

"Come along." Firenze said. "Cyll! Do keep up with us?"

Scorpius followed behind, hesitantly putting a hand on to Cyll's back. "Where are they taking us?"

Cyll flicked his tail. "Couldn't say. Have you seen anything of the Order?"

"Scorpius Hyperion," the bay centaur called back to them. "Come look here."

Cyll patted Scorpius's back now as he past him, stepping up alongside the centaurs. The white one had parted the thicket slightly and Scorpius had to bend down, peering between the tall grass. There! Buried in between the poking brambles, was a large nest and a greenish-black bird, rather vulture-like, its head tucked under it's wing.

"An augrey?"

"Fitting name, that is." The centaur said indifferently, carefully closing it back up and taking a step back. "An augrey, an auger…you must have come across it. They are constantly droning that time of year. Let's leave it be." Scorpius stepped away. "Those who do not understand, fear and try to malign what they see." The centaur looked to him, almost with reverence. "Do not be afraid of what may come. Run off, enjoy the sunshine of today. The augrey is quiet."

Scorpius nodded, and he did run. He ran to the edge of the forest and sat there by the roots of an old Hawthorn tree. He laid down his Hand of Glory, his cards and pulled out his dream diary from his pocket. Only a few pages were filled so far:

_The woods on Halloween and seeing Firenze…the raven in the Scrying bowl…Bellatrix (the boggart) killing Elora (her boggart)…Rose's birthday present…Professor Thomas and the little boy…the boat ride over with Albus, Rose and Elora (**Judgement**)…the palm readings, Veronica's door dream; Elora in a dark alleyway in winter, "the Queen of Clubs"…_

On the last page he had written on, was in hasty handwriting; written in a much neater hand later was his prophecy. Word for word according to Professor Thomas. She had offered to show him the memory of it too. He didn't recall any of it, just him on the floor after his DADA practical.

**_They who have already come are becoming…the Order will be given, time taken back and only then will the world remain it's order...they who have already come; the choice is made, then carried through, the balance tempered and seen out…when Merlin returns…are becoming._**


	23. Birds of a Feather

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 23: Birds of a Feather

* * *

Gryffindor's enthusiasm over the win didn't even last a week. Almost as soon as Gryffindor had won, the annual gloom settled over the castle as May 2nd dawned again. Classes were canceled and everyone was required to attend the morning ceremony. The Head was there giving a speech about the sacrifices and the history of Hogwarts. It was the same thing he had sat through last year and one Scorpius really didn't want to hear again.

"To the valiant fighters, family, friends, teachers, neighbors and most importantly, students of Hogwarts' future, we are gathered here today united as Hogwarts students, regardless of our house affiliation or sides."

He didn't recognize the name of the man speaking; Mr. Montgomery, the guest honored this year for their pains. All he heard was that he had lost his wife and children to Death Eaters, he the sole survivor of the War.

"My son would have graduated this year," He said heavily. "Zane Malcom Montgomery. He would have been standing with you, maybe seated with the Ravenclaws, like his mother. He ought to have been Head Boy, not massacred by a beast."

For all the evils he had heard committed, the torture and imprisonment he knew even his family had partaken in, Scorpius resisted rolling his eyes. Innocent people always got hurt, their bodies trampled on. There was never a good cause without a martyr. But they had a picture of Mr. Montgomery's family beaming back at the crowd, little Zane being held up by one of his sisters and it made him tinge slightly.

He had planned on skipping the afternoon ceremony, as the only family member of his that died that day was buried very far away in a dingy little grave. Until Teddy laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Come up with us?" Teddy Lupin offered. He had shadows along his cheekbone and his shirt was wrinkled in a way that suggested an interrupted honeymoon via a sudden portkey arrival. Mrs. Lupin was waiting for them at the end of the row, looking similarly disheveled, holding up one of the memorial candles. "You're family too."

That is how Scorpius found himself standing in front of a tombstone while Teddy and Victoire clasped their arms over his shoulders and around each other's arms. "Mum would have liked you Scorpius. But she would have gotten you into the _Weird Sisters_."

Scorpius only mutely nodded as he dug his shoe into the grass on the graves of REMUS JOHN LUPIN and NYMPHADORA TONKS LUPIN. She had been a Metamorphagus too and an Auror, he knew but the only thing he knew about Remus Lupin was that he was a werewolf and member of the Order of the Phoenix. And Teddy Lupin's father, who was kneeling to light the little wick beside each grave with the candle they brought up, his hair a light brown. He had the sudden thought, if Teddy put on his 'real face', whatever he looked like without turquoise hair, would he look like Remus Lupin?

When Victoire knelt down next to him, Scorpius quietly turned to make his way out of the cemetery; past white stone and kneeling figures but standing behind them, watching the Lupins and him mourning, was Professor Thomas.

She was wearing all black, which only made her look paler than her usual bright complexion. Her hair was pulled up to display the scarring all the better. A black man, probably who was Mr. Thomas took the baby from her, still holding on to a little girl's hand and Professor Thomas approached them at the grave.

"Scorpius," she said, a small catch in her voice. "Did you know…"

"Family," he explained, monotone. "I don't know…I was born after." He finished lamely. Of course, none of the students knew the dead here. Even Teddy was only two weeks old at the time and with no memories of his parents running off to fight and leaving him with Aunt Anna.

She nodded, staring past him at the Lupins. "He was my Defense teacher when I was your age—the best I ever had. He taught us how to repel boggarts too. Harry Potter learned the Patronus Charm from him too that year and he taught us in the DA. But I remember, was that Professor Lupin taught us how to conquer our fears." She paused, then added one more thing. "He was a werewolf, but I was never afraid of him."

.

Once May 2nd was out of the way and properly mourned, the month of May was glorious, in Scorpius's opinion. The end of year exams were still far enough away that he could care less, the Quidditch season was over so the pitch was free to use and Hogsmeade was so nice that students would get butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks and then take them outside to stroll, which is precisely what he and Jocasta did.

"Are you ready?"

"Of course I am!" He hollered back, dismissing the memory. He would see Jocasta later, she would be studying in the library. But right now…

Balancing himself precariously on his broomstick, Scorpius hefted the raven, making sure that none of the talons were holding on and he let the bird drop.

Immediately, he grasped the broom handle with his left hand, ready to dive and catch the falling bird but instead, the raven spread its wings instinctively. He still fell quite a few feet down, but he managed to get a few flaps in before Rose swooped in.

"Trade you," she offered, passing off the smaller of the two.

"Thanks," Scorpius said. "Are you sure you want to spend your birthday teaching birds how to fly?"

He yelled the last of that towards the ground, where Lysander and Lorcan were watching. When Lysander had announced that the birds had fledged enough to start learning how to use their wings, it was Lorcan who had suggested the use of the brooms. It was a glorious May day, even the Whomping Willow, in full greenery was swaying lazily, invitingly.

"What better birthday?" Lysander asked cheerfully, rubbing his hands. "Luna always said that being born is your gift to the world."

"We already got our presents." Lorcan added. He reached into his pocket and pulled, a long strand of chain and crystals dangling. "It's a pendulum." He called up to them, letting the pendulum swing in the air. "It belonged to our grandmother."

"What does it do?" Rose asked, stroking the raven's feathers as he squalled.

"It's a device used to make decisions. You let it swing like so and ask a question. Sort of like the Ouija boards. A Seer can use them to tell the future."

The pendulum swung towards Scorpius as he took the broom and bird down. "I see us having lunch now." He joked. Rose followed him down and they broke out the picnic basket Rose and Lysander had secured from the kitchens.

It was a very enjoyable day, with the biscuits packed in and watching the ravens hop along, picking up bits of sticks in their beaks.

"You should name them." Rose said out of the blue.

Scorpius turned to her. "Name them?"

"It's not like you have a pet any more." She pointed out. "An empty bird cage…other wizards keep ravens for pets. Students too. James has a girl in his year that has one too. Look at them, they're tame."

He felt a tug under his fingers and looked up to see a burst of black feathers and a triumphant caw as the raven stole his food and devoured it quickly. He made a grab for them, and with all the skills of a Seeker, caught them both. "If I'm going to keep you, you can't go around stealing my food too," he told them off. "Those are the rules." They eyed him relentless but remained quiet. He let them go back to playing and turned back to Rose and the Scamanders. "All right, what do we name them?"

Rose cleared her throat. "How about Macbeth?"

"The Scottish one?"

"I like the name," she said defensively. The larger raven cawed in a way that sounded suspiciously like _Mack!_

"Mack it is then," Lorcan said before Scorpius could argue otherwise. Mack the raven cawed again before poking his beak in Lorcan's pocket and the smaller raven flapped its wings indignantly.

"Then what about that one?" Scorpius said instead, pointing to it. "Banquo?"

"That one is a girl." Lysander informed him, soothing her with a bread piece. "What about Beth then?"

Mack and Beth. Never had he ever imagined that he would keep two ravens for pets and they would be named Mack and Beth. Scorpius nodded and took Beth from Lysander, stroking her fine feathers. Then Mack flew to him, flapping his wings harder than needed, the glinting pendulum in his mouth.

"Give that back here!" Scorpius demanded, grasping the end of it, letting go of squirming Beth. With obvious dismay, Mack let go, the pendulum falling into his hand. "Sorry Lorcan. It's shiny. Ravens like pretty things like this."

Scorpius held it up, examining it in the sunlight. It turned, spinning slowly on its own accord around so that he could read the name running down the side of it. "SOLEIL GRAVES."

"She's our grandmother. That used to be her's. Never met her though."

"Soleil Graves?" Scorpius said slowly. "Soleil…Sunny? Sunny Graves?"

"Sunny Lovegood," Lysander chimed in.

"She's my aunt." Scorpius said, dumbstruck by this sudden wealth of knowledge, stored in his hand. The pendulum glinted and swung along. "My great-aunt, Sunny Graves. She was a Seer too!"

"That explains the pendulum then." Lorcan said. Rose broke in excitedly.

"Then you're all related too! You must be distant cousins, removed or second cousins probably."

"Yeah," Scorpius said, still shocked. Beth looked up and gave a sharp caw. "How does it work, Lorcan?"

This time, Lorcan shrugged helplessly. "I don't know which way is supposed to mean yes," he confessed, sounding dejected. "I would need an Ouija board or the like, I guess."

"An Ouija board for what?"

Jocasta had found them. She sat down next to him in the grass and smiled, even when Mack pecked on her knuckles.

"Hello Jocasta," Rose said blithely. "We're planning to conjure the spirit of the Scamander's grandmother and Scorpius's great-aunt when the full moon rises, care to join us?" Lysander and Jocasta laughed.

"Well, until then, I brought our books and Scorpius, you said you still had to finish that essay for Transfiguration," Jocasta said lightly. "I thought you'd rather finish it outside."

"We'll keep on with teaching then," Lorcan said, picking up Mack. Rose nodded and hopped on to her broom as the Scamanders ran to the top of the crested hill.

Have you gotten them flying yet?" Jocasta asked, twirling her quill.

Scorpius opened his book, chapter eight. "If you mean by broomstick."

"I'm sure the birds will figure out what those flapping things are for sooner or later."

"Oh, they are not just the birds now." Scorpius informed her. "They got named today. I'm officially keeping them for pets."

Jocasta perked up. "What are their names then?"

"Mack and Beth." He said it with a small smile and she laughed, then flipped another page of her studies.

"What are you going to work on?"

"Transfiguration," Scorpius said. "We have a report due next week on Animagi."

"Do you know who you are going to pick? It's not like there's a lot to choose from."

"Who did you do?"

"Cliodna," Jocasta said. "Do yourself a favor and don't do Cliodna, I swear a Chocolate Frog card would be more useful than the books I found."

"I was thinking maybe Morgana," Scorpius said. Jocasta nodded approvingly.

"What was she, a bird?"

"Yeah," Scorpius replied, scrawling the first sentence of his essay. "Dark Witch, Queen of Avalon, a master of Transfiguration and Healing spells, animagus and King Arthur's sister."

"I thought she was only half."

"That's Morgause you're thinking of." Scorpius corrected. "I learned about this from Professor Dubvessa."

"Was Morgana really a Dark Witch?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Who knows? It was the Dark Ages, I suppose." He quipped. "I'll have to look it up though. Do you have another piece of parchment?"

She passed him a spare piece and then paused to watch Rose swoop in and catch one of the ravens.

"Rose seems nice." She said, sounding thoughtful. "Who were the other two guys?"

"The Scamander twins. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, the year ahead of us. And apparently, they're distant cousins." Scorpius told her. "Do you know her?"

Jocasta nodded and smiled a bit. "Was she the one who was color-changing in our first year?"

"That's Rose." Scorpius said, grinning at the memory of Peeves's trick.

"I don't know her well though. Different houses and all. Is she nice?"

Scorpius gave it some thought. "She's my best friend." He said finally. "Her and Al and Elora. I don't know if I'd call her nice, but she's good."

"Morgana has one 'n'," she corrected his writing. "What are you doing this summer, Scorp?"

He shrugged, intent making sure that it was spelled with one 'n'. "We really don't anywhere for the holidays. Madam Patil is going to keep up the lessons though. I'll probably spend a lot of time helping my father with his work or training the birds. I'd like to teach them to deliver mail. Then I could send it to you."

"I'd like that." Jocasta said.

* * *

**A bit of a shorter chapter, but I included that Rose meets Jocasta interaction that readers have wanted to see! One chapter left and the clock is ticking to till the New Year**...


	24. Bell, Book and Candle

**The Querent Quest**

Chapter 24: Bell, Book and Candle

* * *

Something not even a Seer can foresee is how quickly exam week always creeps up upon them. One moment, you're trying to finish a few more essays and before you have time to properly study after that, you are sitting down for another final and the professor is turning over an hourglass.

He was trying to scrawl a few last sentences in when Professor McLaggen announced "Time's up." He stood, flicking his wand and the test flew out from underneath his quill, rolling itself up tightly and zooming into the box on his teacher's desk. "Don't run quite yet, I have your essays to hand back still, you can read them while I test you all individually for the practical portion. Alphabetical order now. And if Mr. Potter would pass these out for me?"

Scorpius was rolling his wand through his fingers when Albus dropped his essay on their desk, face-up of course. On it, was a large red E and a comment made with thick, blue ink: _excellent report on Morgana's abilities and reputation, but a little lacking on Animagi knowledge. _He had underlined a few lines he had liked though.

All in all, the frenzy of the final exams was even worse for Scorpius, who aside from studying his books, kept re-reading the words of his prophecy.

He wished he could talk to someone about his prophecy and what it actually meant. But the centaurs were apparently preparing for the Summer Solstice, which no human was allowed to witness, even if that human was a Seer. Madam Patil, at their last meeting, had talked to him about prophecies in general and offered reassurances like that it had been recorded and placed in the Department of Mysteries for future study, but all she was willing to tell him was to write it down in his journal and turn the page. "Everything happens for a reason and in its own time, Scorpius" Madam Patil had assured him. "Just because you See something as so doesn't mean it's your responsibility to make it occur."

Scorpius couldn't help though, flipping back through the pages of his book and re-reading the words of the prophecy—his prophecy, over and again to himself. **_They who have already come are becoming…the Order will be given, time taken back and only then will the world remain it's order...they who have already come; the choice is made, then carried through, the balance tempered and seen out…when Merlin returns…are becoming._** What did it mean? Who were "they" and what order would be given? How could you take time back? And remain its order…had she misheard him speak "regain" perhaps?

Someone he also hadn't mentioned the prophecy to, was Professor Trelawney. Nor did he plan to…although Scorpius did suspect that prophesying would surely give him a perfect score on his Divination final.

Still, he showed up right in time at the trapdoor leading up to the classroom. This was the one test he hadn't studied for and he was hardly nervous. Just one last exam and then he was free. Sure enough, Rose was still loitering in the way, having had her exam time before his—Trelawney decided to "shake things up" by having them go backwards alphabetically by last name.

"And?" he asked, not ready to pull the ladder down.

Rose shrugged, finishing off a Chocolate Frog. "More tea readings. We didn't even go into palmistry since the old bat has figured out we could share answers about her hands and apparently she's still short a few balls after Lily's cat broke them—crystal balls not marbles, I mean. Those to though."

"What kind of tea?"

"Put in lots of sugar," Rose advised him before the ladder descended. "Luck."

"Thanks," Scorpius nodded before he climbed the ladder up.

Professor Trelawney's cough greeted him before her tones wafted out. "Welcome, Scorpius. Come and sit by me and we'll get started on tasseography. One lump or two?"

"Three and some milk," Scorpius replied quickly.

He was glad for his straight face as he gulped the drink down (cold and still bitter) on his tongue as Professor Trelawney continued to ruminate. "Tasseography is one of the oldest forms of Dinivation. Traditionally, you know, the querent wasn't to read his own cup—"

"The querent." Scorpius said, spilling a bit of his tea. That word again.

"Yes dear." Professor Trelawney answered absently. "But today you'll read your own cup for me, now would you?"

_She probably didn't want to drink the tea herself_, Scorpius amused himself with the thought of it. His cup empty (nearly), Scorpius turned it on to the saucer, rotated it and turned the cup back over, checking the tea leaves.

"A bell," he said, pointing out the bell-shaped stain, careful not to dislodge it. Or it could be an upside down bouquet, but a bell was good enough for him. Trelawney peered through her glasses at it as Scorpius continued. "Usually, it's a call to attention but since I'm seeing it instead of hearing the bell…it's a symbol for good luck."

"Yes, well…do you see anything else, my dear?"

Scorpius's grey eyes flickered around the edge of his tea cup, trying to make shapes out of tea leaves. "A book." Silence. He went on. "Knowledge, err…I'm going to do well on my exams?"

Professor Trelawney coughed and started to rise out of her chair. "Thank you, Scorpius. I see you worked very hard to understand what the future has in store." But Scorpius took a second look at it. "It's an _open _book—answers! I'm going to have answers." He spotted one more shape. "And a candle. Light…enlightenment. A light in the dark."

She was thanking and dismissing him, scribbling what looked like an O on her papers but Scorpius was hardly listening.

.

"Scorpius? Are you even listening?"

Scorpius turned his head towards Jocasta, who was patiently waiting a few feet ahead. "Sorry, but what—"

"I said that the door is here." She repeated herself, tapping the wooden door that had come out of the stones. "What's on your mind?"

Scorpius pulled on the door handle. "It can wait."

Inside, the room was set up for a small, intimate sort of gathering, with gold streamers and Rose tending to the cake, hastily squeezing out frosted letters on top.

"Do you think Elora would like some Tourmaline?" Lysander asked as they walked in.

"Termites?" Scorpius asked, sure he had misheard.

"Tourmaline." Lysander corrected, holding up a large brown crystal. "It's ideal for self-acceptance and emotional healing."

"Put a ribbon on it Lysander, they'll be here soon." Rose called out.

"Perhaps the Galena…" Lysander continued to muse.

"How will we know to yell surprise?" Lorcan asked.

"Oh, was this a surprise party?"

Scorpius and Jocasta turned to see Elora, looking amused behind them.

"Surprise!" Rose said loudly a few seconds late as Albus came running up behind her, looking rather put out at what Elora had discovered. "Happy Birthday Elora. Cake?"

Since the Leaving Feast fell on Elora's birthday, they decided that they'd all rather just celebrate together than watch Gryffindor triumph. Elora didn't seem too fussed to be missing out anyways. They had a birthday cake from the House Elves, a wireless playing, a few gifts to be opened—and _friends_. Beside him Jocasta smiled and shuffled over to talk to Albus, who was laughing at something Lysander had said and there was Rose, who offered him a slice of the cake, helpfully scooping more frosting on top.

"Hey," Scorpius called out over the music. Elora looked up from the box she was unwrapping, the rest of their friends turned to him too. "I've just got something to say, just something I'd like to tell you, all of you." Scorpius could feel their eyes on him, and for once, it was a nice feeling to have. "I made a prophecy."

.

Needless to say, the last place he wanted to spend any time (departure day time) was in the library, especially since Jocasta was waiting for him to take a carriage down to the station. Yet, Albus was marching him past bookshelves, insistent.

"Why are we here?"

"This is worth it." Albus said. "I found something."

"Dead or alive?" Scorpius said, a bit sulky. Albus grabbed a book off a passing shelf and cuffed his shoulder with it, tossing it back on to another shelf, still intent.

"Don't be a gorm. I did all this research for you. Don't worry, I told Dubvessa it was for her class."

"Researching what?" Scorpius asked, but Albus declined to answer, instead choosing to scale a bookshelf, grab a thick tome, hop down and hand it to him, beaming all the while.

_Albus Potter is more mad than his brother, _Scorpius reminded himself, taking the book. _Absolutely barmy these days_. "A book?"

Albus helpfully took the book back, opened it, flipped about three hundred pages in and handed it back to him, using his finger to point out a line. Scorpius read it about four times to himself.

"Albus, why—"

"The prophecy!" Albus blurted out. "You said it yourself, that Merlin was coming back. So I did some thinking and a lot of reading last night and then I thought about the reading I did for you. Rose helped me find the books and Elora took notes, so you better thank them too. If Merlin is coming back, then the muggles were probably wrong about him being from the future, but what if he really was trapped by Nimue? If he's coming back, then someone is going to get him out sooner or later."

"Who?"

"Well…I don't know that part. Hasn't happened yet, has it?"

Scorpius closed the book and handed it back to Albus. "Al, some prophecies never come true. And if they do, it's sometimes not for years and years!"

But if Merlin is coming someday, then we have time to get ready for him. Or figure out if we even want him back at all, I guess."

Scorpius was not quite so ready to give in to Albus's excitement. "What about the rest of the prophecy? Any ideas?"

Albus grinned sheepishly, pushing his hands into his pockets. "We've got a few theories."

.

_Scorpius wandered through the forest, holding the Hand of Glory out in front of him. The light led him along the path, through brambles and the underbush until he suddenly stumbled into a clearing. _

_He set the Hand down, the moon and stars were bright enough here that he didn't the light right now. He circled the clearing, walking along the outskirts as he toyed with his chain. _

_He frowned; why was he here, in a forest? He…hadn't he…that was at Hogwarts. Scorpius managed to look down at what he was playing with and the pentacle pendant, instead of bronze, it was a bright blue. _

_"Scorpius Hyperion," a faint voice suddenly whispered, her words echoing. He stood up quickly, turning in place to look for the voice and then he saw her, again._

_Long, straggly blonde hair and wide pale eyes: even if he hadn't known who she was before, she was very much so the image of her daughter, Mrs. Scamander. _

**_This is a dream_**_, he reminded himself, focusing on the pentacle, trying to stay lucid like he was supposed to. In the real world, Scorpius Malfoy was asleep in his bed at Malfoy Manor again (**don't think about that**, you'll wake up); **this is your chance to take control!**_

_"Soleil Graves," he replied, his voice sounding louder than he expected. She smiled. _

_"Sunny will do." _

* * *

__**Happy New Year! My present to you is to finally have Year 3 finished.**

**How about a year in review? I actually started publishing _The Querent Quest_ way back in September 2010; my initial goal was to finish Year 3 by the end of spring. Well...I finished it before 2012, I can say that. This year has been sort of a mixed bag for me: while I was accomplishing some amazing things, I had a lot of problems in other areas of my life, areas that probably affected this particular area, writing. On the upside as far as writing goes, I've started on my Creative Writing minor (which means better writing and better yet, original writing) but it leaves less time to work on this series. College in general, while I'm happy with everything brought into my life, it does leave me less time (and with my next big project coming up in real life, I definitely won't have time for writing much until the semester is over)  
**

**As far as the future holds...I planned from the start that this would be a seven part series, much like the original. I know where I am going exactly, you wouldn't believe some of the details I have worked out! You do already know that Year 4 is to feature Elora Longbottom and it titled _The Secret of the Study_. I have a basic plot already outlined but I have no plans to start writing (or publishing) until late spring at least. Mainly, because my fanfiction focus at the moment, is to re-work Years 1 and 2. I haven't been happy with how they came out for a long while now and while my future stories are still canon with what I've got, I'd rather make this series the best it can possibly be than settling for what I have. **

**I will let you know, via my page when I have fixed and finish Years 1 and 2 to my satisfaction, as well as any updates as far as Year 4 is coming along. Until I'm publishing more again, I wish all my readers a prospering new year!  
**


End file.
